Sevilla FC have filed a formal complaint with LaLiga over the television coverage and refereeing decisions from their match against Real Madrid. President José María del Nido Carrasco signed the document on Tuesday, following a meeting with the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) which, the club says, failed to address their concerns.
The 4-1 defeat at the Santiago Bernabéu on 18 October left a bitter taste for the Andalusian side, who now sit sixth in the standings with 14 points. The team has played 67 minutes this season with a player sent off. The club outlines four specific incidents it believes were treated in an "unequal and insufficient" manner by the TV production. These include a possible foul by Marc Cucurella on Peque, an elbow from Arda Güler on the same player, a prior foul by Ibrahima Konaté on Robbie Ure before Madrid's second goal, and the penalty awarded for Kylian Mbappé, which did receive multiple replays.
Demands for transparency
In its complaint, Sevilla is demanding from LaLiga "the detailed and documentary response of the production plan, cameras deployed, dead angles and personnel responsible for the broadcast decisions". It also requests the immediate delivery of all original and complete footage of those incidents, plus the safekeeping of technical recordings for potential legal action. The club has further asked for the manuals regulating audiovisual production and official match summaries.
José María del Nido Carrasco stated the discontent is "with the criteria of audiovisual production and with those presented by the CTA in the meeting held this Tuesday about the controversial plays from last Sunday's match against Real Madrid". The meeting with CTA president Fran Soto took place in Madrid and, far from clarifying matters, increased the board's anger.
Sevilla lodge this official protest during a tricky spell, with one win, one draw and three defeats in their last five matches. The Navarrese side currently sit tenth, four points behind Sevilla.
The report in full is at El Mundo Deportes
