Real Madrid are living through a state of doubt and suspicion towards referees, and the tension hit its peak after Vinicius Junior's sending off against Villarreal, alongside the comments of La Liga president Javier Tebas regarding the video clips broadcast by Real Madrid's television channel.
According to the newspaper Sport, the spark of anger exploded at the Santiago Bernabeu during the opening minutes of Real Madrid's match against Sevilla, where discontent turned into open protest.
Leading the charge was the south stand, home to the club's supporters' group known for organised chanting. It was the most strident in its stance against the Spanish league. It is also the closest to the main box where club president Florentino Perez sits.
Before kick-off, the supporters raised a huge banner carrying a message that left no room for interpretation: "This is not football, this is Tebas and Negreira".
One detail did not go unnoticed. Tebas and Negreira were written in Barcelona's colours, blue and red, a direct reference to the Catalan club and the Negreira case, which remains strongly present in the minds of Real Madrid's fans.
That banner was only the beginning. Chants followed, aimed at the Spanish Football Federation, at Tebas and at the Catalan club, an expression of anger that spread well beyond the organised supporters' stand.
For the first five minutes, the home of the Spanish giants became an arena of protest. Loud chants rose from the stands, among them "Corruption in the federation", "Tebas, leave now", "Laporta keeps paying" and "Negreira keeps running the matches".
Those scenes laid bare the open confrontation between the club and Spanish football's institutions.