Football refereeing remains in the spotlight. The new controversy: a conversation between César Soto Grande and the Real Madrid players during the break of Saturday's match between Las Palmas and the Madrid club. In the images published by DAZN, the television platform maintains that the referee recognizes that Rodrygo should have been sent off after his attack on the Canarian goalkeeper Álvaro Vallés. Some statements that the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) has "strongly" denied.
At the beginning of the recording, you can see how Nacho starts a conversation with the referee and talks to him about the yellow card that Rodrygo got for his slap. "Very clear, it's red," Soto Grado seems to answer, according to DAZN. A statement to which the Madrid player responds: "But how is it going to be red? How is it going to be red?"
The CTA has denied what happened, alleging that César Soto Grado, in response to Nacho's assessment, actually says the following: "If it were the other way around, you would say that it is very light red." The referee committee has described the controversy as "a new maneuver with the sole purpose of putting the refereeing establishment on target" and they have invited the players present to confirm the true version.
In the video you can also see the immediately subsequent conversation between Dani Carvajal and Soto Grado. "He falls into provocation when the other pushes him like that, it's okay to say 'the other is at the limit', but the other is the one who starts the conflict, right?", comments Carvajal, to which the referee responds with a “yes.”
The conversation between the referee and the players was about the controversial action in which Rodrygo slapped the Las Palmas goalkeeper in the 4th minute of the match. At that moment, the forward was offside in a Madrid attack after receiving a pass from Ceballos. Vallés verbally rebuked Rodrygo, who shook off the goalkeeper with a blow to the neck.
