Real Madrid got the expected win over Valencia in their La Liga clash on Saturday night, but the final whistle didn’t put an end to the game. Oh no, it’s still going on – in the media.Whoever is in charge of Valencia’s social feeds couldn’t live with the ref’s decision of awarding a penalty kick to the home team.Just before the break, with the match still goalless, Real Madrid’s Brazilian midfielder Casemiro tumbled in the box and the referee blew the whistle to award the spot-kick. There was an outrage by the disbelieving Valencia players but the decision stood – even after a VAR review.Lo de los robos en Madrid empieza a ser algo repetitivo, @lacasadepapel #RealMadridValencia ⚪🦇— Valencia CF (@valenciacf) January 8, 2022 Just when the ref blew for half-time, Valencia fired a tweet that rocked Spain.”Robberies in Madrid seem to be happening all over again, like in Money Heist!”It was a firecracker. Disgruntled Valencia fans, confrontational Real Madrid supporters, amused neutrals around the world, fans of the TV show – everyone jumped on the bandwagon and proceeded to talk about the robbery at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu that happened in front of thousands of onlookers, the match officials, all those cameras and millions watching around the world.No lo digáis muy alto que os van a sancionar. 🤫 https://t.co/OrfQ75IUL2— Gerard Piqué (@3gerardpique) January 8, 2022 There were many reactions, but the most notable was from Gerard Pique, Barcelona’s long-serving defender and deputy captain. He used the Valencia tweet to take a swipe at rivals Real Madrid, saying that accusing Los Blancos of anything is likely to end in punishment.”Don’s say that too loudly because they’ll sanction you!”Pique has, of course, been critical of certain decisions being given to Real in the past. Last year, he stated that 85 per cent of the referees favour Real Madrid, which earned him a warning ahead of a 12-game ban by the Spanish Football Association. However, the whole thing blew over and he wasn’t charged.🗣️ @jose_gaya: “We all saw that it wasn’t a penalty. However, we shouldn’t use that penalty as an excuse, we have to be self critical”#VCF | #RealMadridValencia pic.twitter.com/vj4j4obY1H— Valencia CF (@valenciacf_en) January 8, 2022 The final result was 4-1 in favour of the home team but the comparison with the award-winning Spanish TV show sparked a debate once again. Was it a robbery? Are Real Madrid getting all those decisions purely because of their reputation? And if so – who’s going to stop it?
