Ancelotti bemoans officiating in Sevilla, Madrid match: “If I say what I think I’ll be banned”

Real Madrid's Italian head coach was less than pleased after Real Madrid’s hugely controversial 1-1 draw against Sevilla.

 “Irony is the only way to explain myself after that game. If I say what I think about refereeing I’ll be banned for a long time. To sit on the bench, which is what I love doing the most, I don’t say what I think to avoid suspension and I use a little irony.”

 Carlo Ancelotti’s words were striking, but not at all surprising after a game that was dipped into a pool of controversy after just five minutes, when Jude Bellingham was pulled back for offside after Fede Valverde had squeezed the ball into the Sevilla net in what would end up being a 1-1 draw at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán in match day 10 of LaLiga.

After the game, Carlo Ancelotti sat in front of the press where all he needed was a huge “this is a joke” sign propped up next to him in order to constantly remind everyone that what he was saying was indeed ironic. “The referee had a good game, he got everything right... It was a competitive match, with many duels and I think the referee was right in all of them. It’s not ironic. I’m very serious.” Lo and behold, he was being facetious, and the coach opened up to Real Madrid TV after the back and forth with the press.

 “For me, Rodrygo was one of the best, if not the best players on the pitch”, Ancelotti said after finally being asked about actual players and actual football, “he had more shots than the rest, he did his best. He hasn’t failed, the important thing is that he continues to play well.”

Rodrygo was a huge question mark ahead of the game due to his sub-par performances recently but the Brazilian got into promising positions and made plenty of key decisions that positively affected the game against Diego Alonso’s side. “Rodrygo and Vinicius created many chances in the first half”, Ancelotti continued, “we were close to scoring. In the second half, we lacked energy, we suffered more and we didn’t have control like we wanted.”

 Another moment of tension was when Vinicius and Sevilla goalkeeper, Nyland, had a spat after the Brazilian sent the goalkeeper flying to the ground with the lightest of touches. “There was a fight”, said Ancelotti, “but Vinicius was not alone. There were 15 players, and I think the referee did a good job separating the two teams.” Irony, Carlo? “Vinicius faced Navas who defended very well. It was difficult for him to dribble. I tried to take some minutes away from the players who arrived on Thursday, which is why I took him off.”