In the upcoming second leg match of the Spanish Super Cup (later today), Real Madrid supporters have planned to protest with white handkerchiefs against the hefty five-match ban handed to Christiano Ronaldo. Pena Capote y la Montera, who is the president of the “official Madrid fan group”, said that the weight of the ban is part of a scheme that has made Real Madrid undergo unpleasant experiences in recent years. In order to voice out their opinion that Real Madrid have been unjustly treated, the official Madrid fan group of supporters plan to fly a banner at the Santiago Bernebau Stadium when the referee, Jose Maria Sanchez, enters the football field to officiate his first Clasico.
The call for supporters to lift their handkerchiefs
After it was believed that Ronaldo dived in order to win a penalty during the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup match against Barcelona, referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea issued him a second yellow card. Christiano Ronaldo reacted by pushing the referee and incurring a hefty ban that would leave Real Madrid short of his attacking talent.
This incident pushed the president of the Madrid fan group, to make a tweet (on Twitter) calling on all supporters who will be present at the Bernebau to lift up their handkerchiefs (as a symbol of protest against the ban handed to Christiano Ronaldo) immediately they see the officials coming unto the football pitch.
Furthermore, he said that enough is enough.
Supporters' reaction along with that of soccer pundits and Zinedine Zidane
Many Madrid supporters (who plan to raise white handkerchiefs before the start of the second leg) and soccer pundits believe that the second yellow card handed to Ronaldo was an unfair decision, especially when Luis Suarez seemed to have dived and attracted a penalty which led to Barcelona’s only goal of the game.
Real Madrid coach, Zinedine Zidane, informed a pre-match news conference that, although the Royal Spanish Football Federation’s statements were very clear about handing out between 4 to 12 match bans as a punishment for pushing match officials, he was very upset about Ronaldo’s five-match ban because it was excessive in comparison to the little incident that occurred during the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup tie.
Generally, there seems to be a firm belief that in recent times, Real Madrid have been experiencing the negative consequences of unfair refereeing decisions, while Barcelona have been gaining from the same unfair decisions. Many comments abound that there has been a lot of scandals, apart from the recent ban on Ronaldo which many believe is over the top. Pro-Madrid media platforms like “OK Diario” have highlighted the fact that in the last 29 Clasico’s, referees have issued 14 red cards to Real Madrid, while handing only 2 to Barcelona.
