“I am not going to cry a conspiracy,” former Barca man Emmanuel Petit hints at Real Madrid being favored by referees

Have Real Madrid enjoyed a historical advantage when it comes to controversial refereeing decisions? Former Barca man Emmanuel Petit certainly thinks so!

“I am not going to cry a conspiracy,” former Barca man Emmanuel Petit hints at Real Madrid being favored by referees

Emmanuel Petit thinks Real Madrid enjoy an advantage when it comes to refereeing decisions, and the explanation isn't what one would expect! (Via X/@Football__Report & brfootball)

Real Madrid have recently been at the mercy of refereeing decisions. Jude Bellingham saw his last gasp match-winner disallowed by a controversial full-time call and was subsequently sent off. While both player and fans feel ill-treated following the incident, former FC Barcelona and Arsenal man Emmanuel Petit thinks otherwise.

Football Twitter (now X) has time and again engaged in debates surrounding the controversy that certain team buy or influence referring decisions. From the Negreira case to controversial offside calls and VAR checks, the list goes on. The former French international however, felt that Real Madrid have a history of influencing referring decisions.

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In an earnest discourse, Petit looked back at his time at Monaco, when several blatant refereeing decision put his side at disadvantage against the great AC Milan.

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I am not going to cry a conspiracy that there is a desire to protect Real Madrid. I'm not talking about corruption or conspiracy. I think, when the referees, when they go there, they're impressed by the standing and status of the club
Emmanuel Petit on Real Madrid via After Foot

Real Madrid went on to play out a 1-1 draw against Leipzig and booked their spot in the Champions League quarter-final thanks to a goal from Vinicius Jr., set up by none other than Jude Bellingham.

Leipzig player calls out poor refereeing decision during Champions League clash

Real Madrid narrowly edged the tie against RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday. The Los Blancos beat Leipzig 2-1 on aggregate as the game on Saturday saw either side score one each. However, the hosts were lucky to end the game with all eleven of their players, as Vinicius Jr. came under fire for an incident with Willi Orban.

Vinicius Jr. & Willi Orban
Vinicius Jr. ‘pushing’ Willi Orban during the game on Wednesday. He was only given a yellow card for the incident. (Via X/@eurofootcom)

In a post match interview, Leipzig player Benjamin Henrichs called out the ‘obvious’ refereeing error. 

It's a red card. If it happened the other way round - if a Leipzig player pushed a Real Madrid player, the referee will give a red card. I don't know what happened exactly, but definitely it's a red card.
Benjamin Henrichs (Leipzig player) in a post-match interview

Following the draw, Real Madrid secured qualification to the Round of 16, joining Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain. Vinicius Jr. combined with Jude Bellingham to put the home side into the lead in the 65th minute. However, Leipzig valiantly fought back to halve the deficit. Fans are wondering if Vinicius Jr. not being sent off altered the course of the game.

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