Gerard Piqué, former Barcelona and Spain national team player, stated on Wednesday that the statement Real Madrid sent to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on Monday—criticizing referees for their "scandalous performance" in the league match against Espanyol—was nothing more than a "pure smokescreen" and that the club has been doing this for "120 years."

"The statement is a complete smokescreen because they’ve been doing it for 120 years. When they lose, they need to talk about something else, because that's what they want. The referee debate will always exist, and Madrid has always done this—turning on the 'machinery' when things aren't going well. We're used to it," Piqué said at a promotional event at LaLiga headquarters, where former Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas was also present.

Real Madrid, which sent a letter of protest to the Federation, copied to the Higher Sports Council (CSD), and also published it on its website under the title "protest against the refereeing system," formally complained about what they considered the "scandalous performance of the referees and VAR" in the LaLiga match against Espanyol, where Madrid lost 1-0.

"The events of this match have gone beyond any margin of human error or refereeing interpretation," Real Madrid stated in their letter, complaining about the disallowed goal for Vinícius and the harsh tackle by Espanyol's Carlos Romero on Kylian Mbappé, which was not punished with a red card.

"What happened at the RCDE Stadium represents the culmination of a completely discredited refereeing system, in which the decisions against Real Madrid have reached a level of manipulation and competition distortion that can no longer be ignored," the club added.

In its letter, Madrid pointed to a "double standard" in two "serious" decisions: the "brutal tackle on Mbappé, from behind, on his calf, with no chance of playing the ball," which they claim warranted "immediate expulsion," and the "completely legal" goal disallowed for Vinícius, in a play where they argue Mbappé was "clearly fouled" in "a blatant penalty."

Casillas Thinks Different

Meanwhile, Iker Casillas defended his former club's statement, arguing that Madrid "has to defend its interests." He also suggested that the VAR system should include a former player "who can provide their judgment."

"VAR would benefit from having a former player who can offer insight based on experience. We've spent years in this game, and we can tell when a challenge is intentional or not. It's something you just see," Casillas concluded.