The dubious late penalty which allowed Real Madrid to draw 1-1 with hapless Valencia on Sunday has provoked yet another storm about the club receiving refereeing favors.
Just one minute from the end of the tight clash, with Valencia ahead 1-0 in the Bernabeu and about to regain top spot over the "Galacticos," referee Pedro Tristante Oliva gave the hosts a penalty for an innocuous challenge by Carlos Marchena on Raul Gonzalez.
Luis Figo had to wait three minutes to take the penalty while the Valencia players protested, with Amedeo Carboni being sent off for his fury. Figo made no mistake from the spot, scoring a goal which keeps Madrid two points ahead of Valencia.
"It has happened all over again," moaned Marchena afterwards. "We are always cheated here, and it's just happened again."
Valencia president Jaime Orti, for his part, claimed that "the referee has been their star player, as usually happens here."
Valencia sports paper Super Deporte claimed on Monday that Marchena and company "had been robbed for the fourth year running," then went on to point out that "it is practically impossible for any rival team to win in the Bernabeu, particularly a rival so threatening as Valencia."
Super Deporte also claimed that the presence in the VIP box of Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, a fully paid-up member of Real, "put even more pressure on the referee ... and shows the official support received by" the Madrid club.
Barcelona sports daily Mundo Deportivo -- a paper which has long been critical of official help for Real -- called the Madrid draw "Another Scandal" in a headline.
Even Madrid sports papers Marca and As appeared to be embarrassed by the penalty. As admitted that it was an "invented penalty," while rival daily Marca mentioned a string of dubious decisions in Real's favour.
Real Madrid has been labelled as the "team of the regime" since the Franco dictatorship, when there were always a group of ministers in the Bernabeu VIP box -- and when the club's Euro-triumphs of the 1950s were exploited by the regime for both domestic and international prestige.
Indeed, legendary club president Santiago Bernabeu was a fervent Francoist, having fought as a fanatical volunteer on the Nationalist side in the Civil War.
The complaints about Real receiving official favors have been even more vociferous since Aznar's Popular Party swept to power in 1996.
Aznar is a close friend of club president Florentino Perez, the man who, since 2000, has constructed the star-studded "Galactico" team.
It is rumored that Perez has taken advantage of this friendship to enrich his construction empire.
In particular, Perez is accused of receiving preferential treatment in the controversial sale of Real's training ground to the local council -- a sale which has already cancelled out the club's massive debts, allowing Perez to buy the likes of David Beckham and Ronaldo.
The latest refereeing storm originally brewed up in the Spanish cup, where several dubious decisions allowed Real to edge past Valencia and Sevilla.
Last Wednesday, with Real losing 1-0 in Sevilla at half-time, Real sporting director Jorge Valdano allegedly intimidated the referee in the corridor -- an outburst which earned him a 2,000 euro (US$2,270) fine from the Spanish federation.
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