Real Madrid favoured as 90% referees are their fans: Ex-LaLiga referee's sensational claim

Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid inched closer to their first LaLiga triumph since the 2016-17 season after their narrow victory against Athletic Club Bilbao on Sunday. Sergio Ramos scored the only goal of the match from the spot, raising questions if the Los Blancos are favoured by officials. The debate has been reignited after a former LaLiga referee has claimed that 90 per cent of the officials are Real Madrid fans. 

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90 per cent referees support Real Madrid: Former LaLiga referee 

Former LaLiga referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez spoke to Cadena Ser sometime back, when he made bold claims about Real Madrid. Gonzalez claimed that 90 percent of the referees who officiate in the LaLiga are ardent followers of Real Madrid. Gonzalez enjoys a repute among the LaLiga referees, having overseen 291 matches in the league. He is also a self-confessed Athletic Bilbao fan. Gonzalez opined that the remaining 10 per cent of the LaLiga officials support Barcelona. 

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Sergio Ramos scores penalty vs Bilbao

The former LaLiga referee's claims come at a time when Real Madrid are being blamed to have received favours from the referees during their recent games. Los Blancos are on a seven-match winning streak since the return of the competition mid-June, including their win against Athletic Club Bilbao. Despite an entertaining first half, the two sides failed to break the deadlock.

However, it was Sergio Ramos again for Zinedine Zidane as he stepped up to take the spot-kick after a foul on Marcelo inside the penalty box in the second half. The Real Madrid captain is the second-highest goalscorer for Zidane this season, having scored 10 goals, while Karim Benzema leads the charts with 17 goals.

AS accepts that the Video Assistant Referee's (VAR) decision to award Real Madrid a penalty was correct. However, the Spanish media publication also asserts that Bilbao were denied a similar penalty minutes later when Raul Garcia was brought down in the penalty box after a clash with Ramos. The replays suggested that the defender had stepped on the striker's foot. 

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Real Madrid lead on LaLiga table 

Real Madrid lead the LaLiga table with 77 points to their credit, with second-placed Barcelona bagging 73 points after their victory against Villareal. Zidane's side have four games yet to be played in the competition. They will next host Alaves on Friday (Saturday according to IST) at Alfredo di Stefano. 

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Image courtesy: realmadrid.com