Real Madrid TV fumes over penalty decision against Atletico Madrid, accuses VAR of manipulation (WATCH)

For the second consecutive weekend, Real Madrid have voiced their discontent with refereeing decisions in La Liga. During Saturday’s Madrid derby, which ended in a 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, the hosts were left frustrated by the decision to award a first-half penalty to their city rivals.

The controversial moment occurred when Atletico’s Samuel Lino went down inside the box after a challenge involving Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. Referee De Burgos Bengoetxea, upon reviewing the incident with VAR assistance, awarded the penalty, which Julian Alvarez converted to give Atletico the lead.

Real Madrid TV: This is the filthy Negreira league

Real Madrid TV, the club's in-house channel, vehemently criticized the decision. As reported by Diario AS, the channel accused the VAR team of manipulating images to create the illusion of a foul.

"There is absolutely nothing, the ball had already passed and it is Lino who is going to look for Tchouameni. The problem is that Soto Grado has his image frozen to make it look like the Frenchman is stepping on him, they are manipulating the images from the VAR because they show him when the toe of Tchouameni’s boot is on top of Lino, if you see the play later you realize that Lino dives in an unnatural way," Real Madrid TV stated.

"We are facing the team most favoured by the system and by the VAR. There is absolutely nothing. It’s amazing. That he went to see this… De Burgos Bengoetxea is outrageous. I would leave the field. The most favoured team by the system. They have just awarded him a penalty. This is unfortunate. The filthy Negreira league," the channel further fumed.

"It’s not a penalty. Lamentable. New refereeing scandal. This is what De Burgos Bengoetxea and Soto Grado wanted, and what Medina Cantalejo wanted and what Spanish football wanted. What we are witnessing is absolute embarrassment. But how can they whistle this penalty! It is another day of embarrassment, and another new scandal," the channel added.

Real Madrid's Ancelotti reacts to controversial penalty decision

Meanwhile, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said, “I don’t want to talk (about the referee). The penalty has been awarded by VAR. The referee was very close and saw it well. I saw another penalty in Athletic-Girona. The people of football do not understand this."

“I don’t want to get into a controversy that is quite big. It was an even, competitive match. As I said, we came out of the game with a draw, but encouraged. The team was good in the second half," Ancelotti added.

This controversy follows last weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Espanyol, during which Real Madrid lodged an official complaint to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) over a high challenge by Carlos Romero on Kylian Mbappe that went unpunished. It remains to be seen whether the club will escalate their grievances following the events of the Madrid derby.