Referee who sent off Raphinha vs Getafe admits he should’ve shown red to Rodrygo vs Las Palmas for similar foul

Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Las Palmas this past weekend became a talking point in Spain, once again due to a few refereeing calls that were quite questionable.

Barcelona figures such as Xavi Hernandez and Joan Laporta have not shied away from voicing their concerns with the refereeing in recent Real Madrid games.

One of many questionable incidents in the Las Palmas game saw Rodrygo slap the Las Palmas goalkeeper after the two got into a heated exchange in the first half.

Instead of receiving a direct red, though, Rodrygo was only handed a yellow card – a decision that caused a lot of furore among opposition fans.

Referee’s confession to Nacho

Now, in a major development, Soto Grado, who refereed the game, has been caught on camera confessing about the Rodrygo incident.

In the video recording accessed by DAZN, Soto can be heard telling Real Madrid defender Nacho Fernandez that Rodrygo’s punch should have warranted a clear red.

“A clear red,” Soto tells Nacho, who puts on a faint smile on his face. This was said in the tunnel.

This is after Nacho told the ref, “He’s [Rodrygo] saying that if you give him a card for the push, the goalkeeper should get one too.”

Nacho then asked the match official: “But how is it going to be a red card? how is it going to be a red card?”

Interestingly enough, this is the exact same referee that sent off Raphinha on the first matchday of the season during Barcelona vs Getafe as the Brazilian elbowed Gaston Alvarez in the first-half.

While Raphinha’s foul was obviously more aggressive, it was of similar nature — a deliberate hit to the face/head — as the Rodrygo one. The likes of which are always punished with a straight red card.

Ominous signs for La Liga?

This is not the first time referees have been caught supporting Real Madrid in La Liga this season.

Earlier in the week, Gerard Romero had leaked an audio recording of the VAR conversation between the VAR team and the referee, during the Real Madrid – Barcelona Super Cup final.

La Liga instantly issued an investigation against the journalist for gaining access to the audio conversation, instead of taking any substantial decision on the matter.

To make things worse, Real Madrid have continued to put pressure on the referees by posting videos of their bad decisions, just before key matches.

All of this spells ominous signs for La Liga, especially when it comes to the refereeing integrity and fairness of the game.