Sensations are personal. They are subjective. There are opinions for everyone. There may even be different truths. But statistics don't understand colors or emotions. Cold data reflect a numerical reality. Nobody can argue that the League title is once again tightly contested, with just a one-point lead for Barça over Real Madrid. As evident as the fact that the whites are undisputed leaders in one aspect: the Madrid team is the one that has been awarded the most penalties so far, a total of six, and is one of the two teams, along with Rayo, that have not been penalized with a penalty against them so far.
Mbappé (3), Vinícius (2), and Bellingham (1) added to their goal tally from the penalty spot in 14 matches against Getafe last Sunday, one less than their title rivals. The numbers for Real Madrid contrast with those of the league leader, Barcelona, which despite being the most offensively-minded team, has only had three penalty kicks in its favor and has conceded two against. As for Atlético, they have been awarded one penalty in their favor and have faced one against them.
“There is a pressure factor from the team in front of you. That doesn't mean a referee wants to favor one side or the other. I believe little in coincidences. It may happen in specific instances, but not in trends,” former international referee Xavi Estrada explained to this newspaper. And the trend in the league is historical, with a positive balance for Madrid of 267 penalties (575 in favor and 308 against) compared to Barcelona's 171 (531-360).
“There is pressure from the team you have in front. That doesn't mean that a referee is favoring,” says Estrada
The statistics of penalties have gained more relevance after what happened in the last matchday. Real Madrid took the lead in their victory against Getafe (2-0) with a questionable grab by Nyom on Rüdiger in a corner kick, an action in the penalty area that occurred away from the ball. “It's not a penalty. If it had been the other way around, would it have been called? I don't think so,” speculates the former Catalan referee about what happened in Chamartín.
He also points out that “hierarchy weighs a lot” and that the inexperienced García Verdura, the VAR referee at the Bernabéu, “was overwhelmed by the responsibility of contradicting” the field referee, the international Hernández Hernández. Estrada also mentions that García Verdura's Catalan origin did not help: “If you call the referee in a Real Madrid match, they will focus on your background.”
On the other hand, Barça lamented the defeat against Las Palmas (1-2), with two possible penalties that went unnoticed. “It's a stamp, there's nothing to evaluate. You have the image and the player's blood, what else do you need to intervene?” Estrada wonders about the foul in the area by Mármol on Cubarsí and the silence of the VAR, led by Busquets Ferrer with “very few games” in the VOR room.
“Moreover, it is a clear directive from the committee. Any fouls in a corner kick or set-piece situation must be called if the player is going for the ball,” he concluded regarding an incident that occurred in the 85th minute. The former referee also states that the grab on Pau Víctor in front of goal is a “very clear play” in which VAR should have intervened to award a penalty.
Moleiro with Cubarsi, protagonist of one of the controversies in the Barça-Las Palmas match
Beyond the controversies of the 15th matchday, which also include the questionable penalty awarded in favor of Real Sociedad against Betis, the underlying issue is the changing criteria of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA). “It varies based on media pressure. Sometimes it has backtracked on its criteria according to the noise from the media,” he criticizes. However, he traces the origin back to 2018, the year VAR was implemented in Spain.
“When the committee is led by a person who has not officiated on the field with VAR and has not been a VAR referee, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to incorporate these mechanisms and convey knowledge that you do not have,” asserts Estrada in reference to Medina Cantalejo, president of the CTA.