Marcelino Dismisses Complaints on Refereeing and Focuses on Facing a Strong Barcelona

Alejandro José Hernández Hernández’s controversial refereeing decisions favored Real Madrid in a victory that, without his intervention, might not have occurred. At least two of Francisco José Hernández Maeso’s rectified decisions, the penalty that initiated the comeback and Vinicius’ handball goal that concluded it, were incorrectly overturned. This, along with Vinicius’ aggression against Pozo and the leaked controversial audios, has stirred criticism. However, Marcelino finds these complaints “disproportionate,” stating, “The VAR came to administer justice, and for top teams to complain about referees seems disproportionate. I think the competition is fair.”

Real Madrid – Almería: Vinicius’ Goal

The Villarreal coach expressed confidence that the referee will try to make the right calls, especially with VAR in place. He emphasized, “I am focused on countering Barcelona’s game, not on who the referee is or who goes to VAR.”

Anticipating a Strong Barcelona Regarding the upcoming match, Marcelino believes Barcelona’s recent Copa del Rey elimination against Athletic Bilbao will not impact their performance: “They are a team that has only lost two matches and scores goals. While the match against Athletic took a toll physically, these players are accustomed to playing every three days. In attack, they are all talented, and in defense, I read the other day that they have a player for whom they are offering 100 million.”