Antony's 'forgiveness' outrages both Madrid and the referees

Antony will be able to play against Real Madrid on Saturday after the RFEF Disciplinary Committee accepted the allegations of the Betis legal services and withdrew the red card that Alberola Rojas showed him during the match in Getafe and that he justified by saying that he had entered "from behind an opponent without the possibility of contesting the ball, using excessive force." The federation body adopted the arguments used by the Betis lawyers, pointing out that Antony wanted to contest the ball and not hit Juan Iglesias, pointing out that Antony "never stopped looking at the ball that the opposing player was controlling, trying to intercept with his left foot the trajectory of the ball that the aforementioned opponent had just hit, without it being possible to infer in the impetuous action of the expelled player any intention of contacting the Getafe player, but rather of making contact with the ball, although in the end he did not succeed."

The Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), chaired by Luis Medina Cantalejo , yesterday expressed its indignation at the pardon given to the Betis player. The CTA considers that Arberola's application of the rules was perfect, as it was a tackle from behind with no possibility of playing the ball, beyond the force or impact of the tackle. And that is why they are upset with what they consider to be a "re-refereeing".

The referees' group shares this anger with Real Madrid. The club was perplexed by Antony's forgiveness and does not believe that this decision by the disciplinary committee is a coincidence: "We are convinced that this has all become a complete joke," sources from Madrid told this newspaper. The Merengue club speaks of "embarrassment" and understands that the red card would not have been withdrawn from the Betis player if the Andalusians' next match had not been against Real Madrid.

The Disciplinary Committee has united Real Madrid and the referees for once .