Real Madrid have escalated their refereeing battle by preparing a complaint to FIFA, linking recent controversies with the Negreira case. The breaking point came on Saturday when Dean Huijsen was sent off against Real Sociedad - a decision the club argued was harsh, with Eder Militao covering the play. For Madrid, the red card was not an isolated error but latest in a series of questionable calls.
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso led tributes as Liverpool legend John Toshack made a rare public appearance in Spain during Real Sociedad's La Liga clash against Los Blancos on Saturday. Toshack spent eight years as a player at Anfield and later managed several clubs across Europe, including Real Sociedad and Madrid, where he even won a La Liga title in the 1989-90 season.
Xabi Alonso used his post-match press conference to mount a defence of Dean Huijsen, after the young centre back was sent off on the 30-minute mark in Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Real Sociedad. The ex-Bournemouth starlet was shown a straight red after pulling down Mikel Oyarzabal, with the referee judging the Sociedad striker had a clear route to goal.