Real Madrid vs Sevilla controversy turns Bernabéu win into refereeing row

“Why don't they call him from the VAR? Maybe so they do not get to nine points before the clásico. It is a 100% very clear VAR play. We are outraged,” Luis García Plaza told Estadio Deportivo after Real Madrid's 4-1 win over Sevilla at the Bernabéu. The argument centred on Arda Güler's challenge on Peque in the 23rd minute, when the score was still 0-0, and Sevilla said the VAR did not even review it.

The Arda Güler incident

The row took over the night because Güler was not just part of the flashpoint, he was one of Madrid's strongest players. He scored once, played 78 minutes and posted an 8.2 rating, with three key passes to his name. He also finished the match without a red card, which is why the complaint and the actual match record sit in such obvious tension.

Sevilla's line was straightforward: Güler should have been sent off. Iturralde González went even harder, saying the replay quality was unacceptable and calling it "a lie of a league." Real Madrid TV pushed the other way, accusing Sevilla of selective outrage and saying the club was trying to divert attention from the four goals it conceded.

Tebas and the wider feud

Javier Tebas then widened the argument. Speaking to SPORT1, he said the banner "This is not football, this is Tebas and Negreira" was coordinated and supervised by the club, and added: "The leadership of Real Madrid has committed itself to manipulation and untruths, also in its official communications and publications. They stoke outrage, repeat the accusations, single out individuals and then present themselves as victims when the conduct is denounced."

That is the layer that keeps dragging Real Madrid vs Sevilla into something bigger than one incident. Dean Huijsen tried to pull one part of the evening back toward football, saying of Éder Militão's return, "We all know the kind of player he is, and if the stadium gives him an ovation, it's for a reason," while Barcelona sat on the other side of the same rivalry with no role in the match itself.

Militão came on in the 85th minute after a six-month absence, having been sidelined since 21 April, and the Bernabéu gave him a standing ovation. Madrid still left with a comfortable win, but the refereeing dispute swallowed most of the conversation, and that is what will follow the result into the next round of the feud.