Real Madrid is arguably the most successful soccer club in the world, boasting a record 36 La Liga titles and 15 UEFA Champions League trophies. And, ex-Barcelona man Arturo Vidal has alleged that Los Blancos have benefited from dubious calls in their history.
Arturo Vidal Targets Real Madrid Over Past UCL Decisions and VAR Debate
During a recent appearance on the “Enfocados” podcast, Chile legend Vidal was asked about his experience of locking horns with the Alvaro Arbeloa-coached team on the pitch. The ex-Bayern Munich star responded by launching an attack on the La Liga side.
“I’ve felt robbed by Real Madrid. In two games with Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League, in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, when they eliminated us,” Vidal replied.
Vidal also claimed that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology was introduced to put an end to Los Blancos benefiting from contentious referee decisions. “VAR was introduced because of Real Madrid. Before, there were simply too many cheats. That’s why they invented VAR, so they wouldn’t rob anymore,” the 38-year-old added.
The Colo-Colo midfielder’s remarks refer to Bayern Munich’s exit from the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in the 2016-17 season. The Chilean was sent off in the second leg tie despite appearing to make a clean tackle on Marco Asensio. Following his red card, Bayern crashed to a 4-2 loss (6-3 on aggregate) in the second leg at the Estadio Bernabéu.
The following season, Bayern faced the Spanish side again in the Champions League last-four stage. The Bundesliga club lost the first leg 2-1 at home before drawing 2-2 in Madrid, where Los Merengues benefited from some controversial decisions. After the 2017-18 season, Vidal left Bayern and played for Barcelona from 2018 to 2020.
READ MORE: Barcelona Stars Face Spell on Sidelines After Atlético Madrid Clash
Meanwhile, Real Madrid has recently been accused of receiving favorable treatment from an official. Earlier this Monday, Mar. 2, Los Blancos star Antonio Rüdiger made headlines after escaping punishment for making a reckless challenge on Getafe ace Diego Rico.
Asked about Rüdiger’s tackle on him, Rico replied, “If it were the other way around, I would have gotten a 10-game suspension, or wouldn’t have played at all this season. I don’t know what VAR is for. It was an assault… you can see he was going to hit me on purpose. If he’d caught me in a bad position, he could have left me lying on the grass.”
Following their 1-0 home loss to Getafe, Los Blancos are second in the La Liga table with 60 points from 26 games. They are currently four points behind the leaders, Barcelona.
