Real Madrid had only just tasted their first defeat under José Mourinho, beaten by Real Betis in the fourth round of La Liga, when the controversy shifted from the pitch to the refereeing room.
Fiery Portuguese comments accused the referee. An even sharper refereeing response warned of a suffocating season. That is why former referee and refereeing analyst Joan Fabregas broke his silence to reveal what he called Mourinho's "trump card" early on.
A correct decision and unjustified criticism
Writing his analysis for the Spanish newspaper "Sport", the refereeing expert Fabregas defended the decision that sparked the anger of Mourinho and the Real Madrid players.
Fabregas said: "Mourinho criticised the referee's correct decision, which was to allow play to continue after the ball rebounded off Marc Bartra. If one foot is outside the penalty area and the other is in the air, then technically it is outside the area, and therefore the law was applied correctly."
You can discuss the topics and news in more depth in the "Kooora" forumsA warning of a suffocating season
Fabregas did not stop at the technical side of refereeing in La Liga. He issued a strongly worded warning about the manner in which Mourinho has started the season.
He added: "We have only reached the fourth round, and Mourinho has already revealed his trump card when it comes to the referees. The pressure has been suffocating since the start of the competition, which will create a suffocating atmosphere from now until the end of the season. We knew this in advance; it is not something new. Until now, Mourinho was behaving coolly, but now he has revealed his true self."
His tone turned worried as he continued: "The refereeing community knows what will happen because the pressure will be suffocating, and it is impossible to referee under these conditions. I hope the referees do not suffer from all this violence that is stirred up through comments in press conferences."
Is the refereeing committee independent?
The refereeing analyst went further still, casting doubt on the independence of the current refereeing system and its relationship with the Spanish federation.
He said: "The refereeing committee, which is a recent one, began its work a year ago with Rafael Louzán, and the committee is made up of referees, but they are subject to the federation, and the federation in turn is subject to the clubs. It is not an independent committee as it should be. What does Louzán want? To avoid problems with Real Madrid."
Then came his next charge: "What do the referees want? For the federation to continue to depend on them, because as soon as they notice something wrong they change their leadership. They have already dismissed Luis Medina Cantalejo after Real Madrid sent a message against the head of the refereeing committee."
Fabregas ended with a clear message to the referees who will officiate Real Madrid's matches: "They are aware that they are not independent, and that they depend heavily on the president of the federation, and when Real Madrid gets involved everything becomes more complicated, especially since Mourinho's arrival. They prefer coaches like Flick, who do not get into many problems, but with Mourinho, the problems keep coming."