Real Madrid 'pour petrol' ahead of derby with complaints about referee

Jakarta - Real Madrid heated up the atmosphere ahead of the derby against Atletico Madrid on Saturday (8/2), by making complaints about the referee.

La Liga leaders Real host second-placed Atletico, who are a point behind, at the Santiago Bernabeu after a torrid week in Spanish football.

Last weekend, Los Blancos dropped three points in the league when they were beaten by Espanyol. After that match they sent a letter to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), accusing the La Liga referees of cheating.

Real were left furious after Espanyol defender Carlos Romero brought down Kylian Mbappe but he escaped a red card before scoring the only goal of the game.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti dropped Mbappe from his squad for Wednesday's win over Leganes to reach the semi-finals of the Spanish King's Cup, saying Mbappe had a bruised calf.

The France star is likely to feature against Atletico for the first time since joining Real. Mbappe missed the draw at the Metropolitano Stadium in September last year with a hamstring injury.

Real managed to beat Leganes 3-2 to avoid playing an energy-sapping 30 minutes of extra time.

Real's complaints about the referee have been met with attention from Atletico.

"Can you help me with the nuances of these words? Pressure, fear, intimidation, coercion, threats, influence," Atletico wrote on its X account.