\n
Barcelona manager Xavi has reiterated his concerns over refereeing in La Liga after Real Madrid\u2019s controversial 3-2 victory over Almeria on Sunday.<\/strong><\/p>\nAt the Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid went 2-0 down to La Liga\u2019s bottom side in the first half of the game before three controversial VAR calls after the break changed the tide of the game.<\/p>\n
Madrid\u00a0were awarded a penalty early in the second half which Jude Bellingham converted to kick-start the comeback, before Almeria had a goal ruled out for a foul, but the biggest frustration for away fans came as Vinicius Junior appeared to use his upper arm to score the equaliser. Dani Carvajal would ultimately strike a 99th-minute winner for Carlo Ancelotti\u2019s side.<\/p>\n
Asked for his thoughts after\u00a0Barcelona\u2019s 4-2 win over Real Betis, Xavi suggested he agreed with claims that Madrid profit from refereeing controversies a little too often.<\/p>\n
\u201cI already said in Getafe that it was going to be very difficult to win this league,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are people who don\u2019t remember but I think we could have six more points in this championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember the penalty in the Coliseum, the resounding penalty against Raphinha, Joao Felix\u2019s goal in Granada\u2026 They are not excuses, they are realities, 95th-minute situations that always come up with a cross\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are things that we do not control, everyone has seen it today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nWILL THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW DELIVER?<\/em><\/h3>\n
\nXavi\u00a0admitted he shared the frustrations of Almeria boss Gaizka Garitano, who claimed this was not the first time he had left the Bernabeu feeling a sense of injustice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have words to say what has happened,\u201d Garitano fumed. \u201cThis isn\u2019t the first time something like this has happened to me here.\u201d<\/p>\n
A number of Almeria players have openly called out the officiating, including goalscorer Edgar Gonzalez.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a competition that should be fair for everyone, and sometimes it\u2019s hard to see that,\u201d he said after the final whistle. \u201cThe [Madrid penalty] is a clear foul and I think the second is handball. All the decisions went in their favour.\u201d<\/p>\n
Defender Marc Pubill added: \u201cSomebody decided we couldn\u2019t win and that\u2019s what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Barcelona manager Xavi has reiterated his concerns over refereeing in La Liga after Real Madrid\u2019s controversial 3-2 victory over Almeria on Sunday. At the Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid went 2-0 down to La Liga\u2019s bottom side in the first half of the game before three controversial VAR calls after the break changed the tide of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":139271,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-141861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n
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