Real Madrid have been accused of “losing their minds” by LaLiga president Javier Tebas, and prompted mockery from rivals Atletico Madrid on social media, after the club lodged a letter of complaint against the Spanish league’s referees.

Real Madrid sent the letter in the wake of their 1-0 loss to struggling Espanyol on Saturday, insisting goalscorer Carlos Romero should have been sent off for a foul on Kylian Mbappe. They were also aggrieved by a decision to rule out a goal by Vinicius Junior.

The letter, which demanded the release of VAR audio around both incidents, was addressed to Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Rafael Louzan and read: “The events of this game have exceeded any margin of human error or refereeing interpretation.

“What happened at the RCDE Stadium represents the culmination of a completely discredited refereeing system, in which decisions against Real Madrid have reached manipulation and adulteration of the competition that can no longer be ignored.”

Rodrygo shows his frustration during the defeat to Espanyol

Image: Rodrygo shows his frustration during the defeat to Espanyol

Real Madrid, frequent critics of refereeing standards in Spain, subsequently refused to attend a meeting called by the RFEF with LaLiga clubs and refereeing representatives, during which Tebas offered his explosive riposte.

“They are against everything,” he said. “That is the reality.

“Real Madrid want to damage the competition, not just the referees. They have constructed a narrative of victimhood that culminated in the statement they released the other day. It is not true.”

Tebas added that LaLiga is planning legal action in response.

“We are going to file a complaint against the club and those who signed the letter and the board,” he said. “We are analysing it from a legal point of view because, of course, this type of letter cannot be tolerated.

Real Madrid were angered Carlos Romero's challenge on Kylian Mbappe did not lead to a red card

Image: Real Madrid were angered Carlos Romero’s challenge on Mbappe did not lead to a red card

“It contains untruths or half-truths that are intended to influence issues that cannot be influenced… They have lost their minds… Football doesn’t revolve around Real Madrid.”

The feud has developed amid heightened tensions from the ongoing Negreira case, in which Real Madrid’s bitter rivals Barcelona face historical charges of corruption, which they deny, over alleged payments made to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, a former refereeing official.

In addition to their letter of complaint, Real Madrid published a four-minute video on their official website entitled “The global scandal continues to escalate”, showing clips of the challenge by Romero on Mbappe and using quotes from media outlets deeming it worthy of a red card.

The defeat cut Real Madrid’s lead at the top of LaLiga, leaving them only a point ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid, who have relished taunting their rivals on social media ahead of Saturday’s showdown in the Madrid derby at the Bernabeu.

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In the style of Ikea furniture assembly instructions, Atletico published two “plan your week” for the derby posts, with steps including “good physical preparation”, “pre-match massage”, “a detailed analysis of the opponent”, and “use your TV channel to pressure the referees”.

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The final step listed in the second post was “use your army of media buddies to spread your ramblings”.

In a separate post on X also interpreted as a dig at Real Madrid for their perceived attempts to influence officials, Atletico asked the Royal Spanish Academy for definitions of the verbs: “pressurise”, “intimidate”, “coerce”, “threaten”, “influence” and “impose”.

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Atletico Madrid go into Saturday’s game having beaten Mallorca 2-0 in their last LaLiga game, after previously dropping points in a draw with Villarreal and a defeat to Leganes.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, had won four consecutive LaLiga games prior to their acrimonious defeat to Espanyol. The two sides are on 48 and 49 points respectively, with Barcelona on 45 points in third place ahead of their trip to Sevilla on Sunday.