The debate over refereeing in LaLiga EA Sports is once again at the center of controversy. The latest matchday left an incident that reopened old wounds and caused countless opinions: the penalty called on Balde in the Levante - Barça match. This decision infuriated the Culers and was seized upon by journalist Víctor Lozano, who didn't hesitate to harshly criticize the referees and Real Madrid.
The incident that sparked outrage
The match at Ciutat de València came with added tension due to Barça's difficult start and Levante's return to the top flight. However, the most talked-about play came in stoppage time of the first half. A shot by José Luis Morales struck Balde's arm, with the full-back's arm practically against his body. After a VAR review, Hernández Hernández pointed to the penalty spot.
Morales didn't miss and converted the provisional 2-0, in a decision that many consider excessively strict. Among them is Víctor Lozano, who on the L’Onze program lashed out at the refereeing and directly pointed to Real Madrid's influence in the competition.
Víctor Lozano's words
"My rebellious and idealistic character doesn't allow me to accept injustices. I can't stand them, regardless of the jersey or the scarf. I've been saying it for a while: this season will be very difficult. Barça will have to be much better than their rivals. Everything is orchestrated so that one team, the team from the capital, the one that's been winning since 1902 with the help of referees, keeps winning. We're seeing it. I was labeled a preventive victim, that before things even start we're already complaining... No, it was already known this would happen, it has happened, it's happening. Therefore, this outrages me," Lozano concluded.
The journalist was highly critical, denouncing an alleged structural refereeing scheme that, according to him, benefits Real Madrid and makes Barça's path to titles more difficult.
The refereeing controversy this season
The Balde case isn't an isolated incident. Only two matchdays have been played and several controversial decisions have already occurred. In Real Madrid's match against Real Oviedo, for example, a previous foul was called for on Mbappé's first goal. There's also the memory of a handball penalty that Hernández Hernández didn't call in the last Clásico.
The contrast between that incident and the one at Ciutat de València has increased the discomfort among the Culers, who believe that refereeing criteria aren't consistent. César Barrenechea Montero, former international referee, described Balde's incident as "very strict" and added that the defender "had no intention of going for the ball."