Real Madrid against Levante Protests on and off the field
Pablo Garca
T.here were a handful of controversial referee calls during Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat to Levante at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium but nothing more than the penalty awarded to the visitors in the second half.
Referee David Medie Jimenez initially gave a free kick Vinicius Junior‘s challenge Carlos Clerc on the edge of the penalty area.
However, after consulting VAR in his ear, the referee pointed to the spot, to the surprise of the home team.
Some Real Madrid players in the stands got out of their seats and called on the referee to watch the incident on the monitor on the field.
‘Look at it, it’s outside [the box], it’s outside! “Came the screams from the stands.
Warned by their off-field teammates, such as Karim Benzema, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos approached Jimenez to protest the decision.
The referee did not go to the monitor to assess the incident and instead proceeded to award the penalty.
“What a joke, what a joke!” shouted the players in the stands.
Roger Marti took the penalty but saw his attempt saved by Thibaut Courtois to keep the scores up to standard.