"Go to the museum of thefts": Sevilla mock Real Madrid after the Bernabeu four
Sevilla have escalated their protests against refereeing decisions following their 4-1 defeat to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, objecting to Arda Guler not being sent off for his challenge on Peque, as well as the incident involving Ibrahima Konate's challenge on Oso before one of the Madrid side's goals, in a match that angered the Andalusian club.
Spanish newspaper Marca reported that the anger within Sevilla ran from the players right through to head coach Luis Garcia Plaza. The club believe influential refereeing decisions denied them the chance to compete fairly, and it comes just days after they objected to Isaac Romero's sending off against Levante.
Sevilla mock Real Madrid on social media
Sevilla aired their displeasure through a series of posts on social media, responding to a Movistar post that compared Kylian Mbappe's goal to a work of art in the Louvre museum.
"With the Prado museum so close by, you go to the museum famous for thefts!" the Andalusian club wrote, a sarcastic dig that doubled as scathing criticism of the officiating.
There was a second complaint, too, this time about the delay in showing the replay of Konate's challenge on Oso before one of Real Madrid's goals. "Can you rewind 18 seconds? We want to see the whole incident."
They denied us the chance to play a different match
Garcia Plaza joined the chorus. He pointed to Arda Guler's challenge on Peque in midfield, for which the video assistant referee did not intervene to award a foul warranting punishment.
"They denied us the chance to play a different match," the Sevilla coach said after the defeat, convinced the officiating shaped both the course of the game and his team's chances.
Konate's challenge on Oso before one of Real Madrid's goals drew more controversy from the coach, who had already objected to Isaac Romero's dismissal against Levante and recalled other cases he felt deserved the same treatment.
Juan Iglesias voiced his own objection to the decisions, while the report on Sevilla's official website summed up the club's position with one line: "An elbow, and that's that." A fresh escalation of the Andalusian protests.
A frustrating week
Sevilla want this week behind them. One point from a possible six since the resumption of league competition has halted part of the momentum the team built up at the start of the season.
They sit clear of the relegation zone, but the dropped points have dented their ambitions of climbing further up the table. Restoring their balance quickly is now the priority when they face Osasuna at the end of next week.
