Xavi cries foul after Real’s ‘remontada’

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez did not mince his words when asked about the state of refereeing in La Liga following his side's 4-2 victory away at Real Betis on Sunday.

"I've seen it… If we talk, we get sanctioned, but everyone saw it," Xavi said, referring to Real Madrid's contentious 3-2 comeback win over bottom dwellers Almeria which took place earlier, an encounter marred by questionable refereeing decisions and the application of Virtual Assistant Referee (VAR).

As it stands, Barcelona are seven points adrift of second-placed Real Madrid and eight behind table-toppers Girona who thrashed Sevilla 5-1 on the same night, playing one game more than Carlo Ancelotti's side.

Xavi rues the refereeing decision that went against the Catalan side of late but wanted to focus on his team's performance instead.

"I already said at Getafe that there were things that didn't add up for me in this league. There are things we don't control, and everyone saw it. I remember the penalty at Getafe, Joao's goal at Granada... and it's not talked about.

"We would already have six more points. They are not excuses. It's the reality. Luck is always against us. Today, we need to talk about the team," Xavi added.

Following the game, the Spanish Football Federation published audio of the talks made during those controversial decisions that began with Real, down 2-0, reducing the deficit in the 56th minute with a Jude Bellingham penalty awarded for a debatable handball after a lengthy VAR check.

However, Almeria had a Sergio Arribas effort from a counter-attack ruled out a little later after another long VAR check as referee Francisco Maeso ruled there was an infringement in the build-up.

Five minutes later, Maeso first ruled out Real's equaliser for a Vinicius Jr handball before awarding the goal after deciding it was off the shoulder following another VAR review. The decision left Almeria's players and manager Asier Garitano fuming as the latter saw marching orders for complaining to the referee.

Bellingham also had a goal ruled out for a controversial offside in the build-up but, at the ninth minute of stoppage time, he worked his magic inside a crowded box to lift a cross to Dani Carvajal who tapped in the winner at the far post to send the home crowd accustomed to 'remontada' (Spanish for comeback) into a frenzy.

Like Xavi, Almeria coach Garitano refrained himself from dissecting the refereeing decisions.

"You have seen the game and what happened. My opinion? It doesn't matter because then they sanction us for talking, and it's useless. I didn't say anything, but it's true that I protested a lot, logically."