Referee Decisions Anger Real Madrid After Derby Loss
Listen to the story
Real Madrid has strongly criticised the refereeing in its derby match against Atlético Madrid. The club says the referee's decisions decided the result of the game.
Coach José Mourinho spoke to journalists after the match. He said he did not want to think that what happened had been planned in advance. His comments were seen as an unusually strong outburst from the coach.
Real Madrid TV, the club's own television channel, also reacted strongly to the match. It described the officiating as "vomitive", a very strong word used to show disgust.
The channel even suggested that clubs should consider leaving LaLiga, Spain's top football league, because of the situation. This is an extreme statement rarely made by a club's own media.
The match itself was a derby, meaning it was played between two teams from the same city, Madrid. Derbies are usually very intense and important for fans.
Real Madrid did not explain in detail which specific decisions it disagreed with, but the tone of both Mourinho and the club's TV channel showed how serious the situation was seen inside the club.
This kind of strong public reaction from a club's official channel is unusual and shows the level of anger after the game.
No official response from the referee or LaLiga has been mentioned in the report.
Vocabulary10 words
- refereeing
- the way a referee controls a game
- outburst
- a sudden strong show of feeling
- vomitive
- something that makes people feel sick
- LaLiga
- the name of Spain's top football competition
- league
- a group of teams that play against each other
- derby
- a match between two teams from the same city
- intense
- very strong or serious
- channel
- a TV station
- official
- connected to an organisation, not personal
- controversy
- a strong public disagreement
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Quiz
Answer key
1. The refereeing 2. As "vomitive" 3. True
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Real Madrid has strongly criticised the _____ in its derby match against Atlético Madrid.
The club says the referee's decisions decided the _____ of the game.
Coach José Mourinho said he did not want to think that what happened had been _____ in advance.
His comments were seen as an unusually strong _____ from the coach.
Real Madrid TV described the officiating as "_____", a very strong word used to show disgust.
The channel even suggested that clubs should consider leaving _____, Spain's top football league.
The match itself was a _____, meaning it was played between two teams from the same city.
Derbies are usually very _____ and important for fans.
This kind of strong public reaction from a club's official _____ is unusual.
No official response from the referee or LaLiga has been mentioned in the _____.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think derby matches often create strong emotions for fans and clubs?
- Do you think it is appropriate for a club's own TV channel to criticise referees so strongly? Why or why not?
- How might strong public statements from coaches or club media affect future matches?
- What could LaLiga do, if anything, to respond to this kind of criticism from a club?
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