Real Madrid will appeal the straight red card shown by the referee Munuera Montero to Fede Valverde in the final stages of the Madrid derby played on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu. It is an 'obligatory' appeal, but one in which the club itself does not have too much faith, considering that it is a question of appreciation on the part of the Andalusian referee. The possible sanction would be two matches for one of the most in-form players in the squad, who is enjoying a spectacular goalscoring moment.

Real Madrid understand that the referee's decision was conditioned by the context of the relationship between Fede and Baena, with that incident in the Bernabeu car park in which the then Villarreal player accused the Madrid player of aggression, in response to a previous provocation, which could not be proven. For the club, the fact that the tackle was on Baena determined the color of the card shown to the Real Madrid No.8. "If that same tackle is on Koke, it's 100% a yellow card," they say from the Los Blancos dressing room, who understand that the referee's decision was biased by the precedents between the two players involved in the action.

🤍⚽️😍 pic.twitter.com/mex9FcV64c

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 23, 2026

Everything remains the same

Otherwise, it was just another day at the office for Madrid as far as refereeing issues are concerned. The non-penalty in favour of Rayo at the Camp Nou and the red card to Fede at the Bernabeu add to the idea, already installed many years ago at Madrid, that the refereeing ecosystem in Spain is not exactly favourable to their interests.

In any case, the general atmosphere is one of optimism based on the team's growth in recent matches, on the basis of which they intend to fight until the end in both La Liga and the Champions League. The recovery of key players such as Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and, soon, Eder Militao, is seen as a key factor in boosting the performance of a team that has been growing in recent weeks under the leadership of Vinicius Junior and Fede Valverde, who is now facing a possible two-match ban in the decisive stage of the La Liga title race.