The 'zinger' from Atlético to Real Madrid over their constant complaints about Spanish refereeing

The Atlético de Madrid has found a 'spicy' way to heat up the upcoming league derby while expressing its disagreement with Real Madrid's recent attitude towards Spanish refereeing. It should be noted that the whites have launched a significant campaign due to what they consider negative refereeing against them.

In the match last weekend against RCD Espanyol (1-0), controversies arose, such as the foul that, according to the white side, the defender of the 'periquito' team, Carlos Romero Serrano, committed on Kylian Mbappé. From the Chamartín squad, they considered this tackle deserving of a red card. In the end, it was only punished with a yellow card.

This action, along with a goal disallowed to Vinicius Jr. for a previous foul by Kylian Mbappé, provoked 'anger' in Real Madrid, which did not hesitate to send an extensive letter to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), with a copy to the Higher Sports Council (CSD), expressing their condemnation of such acts and using very serious words, such as accusing the competition of being "manipulated and adulterated". Beyond that, the usual media machinery has been unleashed, which could undoubtedly influence upcoming refereeing due to the pressure exerted and the attention generated.

Taking advantage of the wave of opinions generated around this topic, the next team to face Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, has expressed its discontent with the white team's stance in a clever way before the derby. The 'colchoneros' used their social media (@Atleti) to stir the pot with two tweets.

The 'zingers' from Atlético against Real Madrid for their constant complaints about Spanish refereeing 

In the first of these tweets, they tagged the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), quoting the following message: "Friends at the RAE, these days we are being asked a lot about a matter and we don't want to get it wrong. ¿Can you help us with the nuances of the following verbs?: Press, intimidate, coerce, frighten, influence, impose". A subtle -or perhaps not so subtle- reference to the campaign that the reigning champion of LaLiga EA Sports is carrying out against refereeing.

Friends of @RAEInforma, these days we are being asked a lot about a matter and we don't want to get it wrong.

Can you help us with the nuances of the following verbs?:

press,
intimidate,
coerce,
frighten,
influence,
impose.

Thank you very much!

— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) February 5, 2025

But the story doesn't end there. Hours later, the colchonero team released a 'flyer' presenting "four basic steps to prepare for the derby". The first three steps were normal: the first talked about "good physical preparation", the second about "a pre-match massage" and the third about "a detailed analysis of the opponent".

📚 Basic instructions for the derby pic.twitter.com/ADZE8e07Mt

— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) February 5, 2025

However, the fourth step was a direct attack on Real Madrid, as it literally stated the following: "use your official television once again, to pressure the referees", a clear criticism towards the white team, which has on more than one occasion used Real Madrid TV to influence refereeing work prior to matches and putting them in the spotlight if they end up losing. This sustained and regrettable behavior by the audiovisual arm of the Chamartín club is known to all, but few have taken serious actions to protest or try to stop this behavior.