Real Madrid and its fans have tried to justify the number of cards the team received in the match against Villarreal, alleging that referee Díaz de Mera's performance was unfair. According to the club's official narrative, Madrid would have committed eight fouls and received five yellow cards and one red, while Villarreal would have made 13 fouls and seen only two yellow cards. However, the analysis of the game reveals that the number of cards does not correspond to the fouls committed.
The only case of a red card that does not generate controversy is the expulsion of Vinicius, who pulled Saliba's hair. The regulations consider that this act deserves a red card, so the club does not question that decision. The debate focuses on the five yellow cards that the white team received. According to the referee's report, only two of those yellow cards were due to fouls: those of Bellingham and Konaté. In the case of Konaté, Real Madrid plans to appeal, as the images show that his action against Gerard Moreno did not seem worthy of a yellow card.
The other yellows are attributed to protests and loss of time. Rüdiger received a card for protesting, while Mbappé and Tchouaméni were cautioned for wasting time. In addition, coach Mourinho and team delegate Chendo also received yellow cards for protesting. The protest culminated in the expulsion of Nuno da Costa, Mourinho's assistant, who was also expelled for the same reason.
In total, Real Madrid had seven yellow cards among players and coaching staff, of which five were for protests and not for fouls. The only red card that is not in question is that of Vinicius, while Nuno da Costa's red card was also due to a protest. With this information, the club and its fans must reconsider the narrative that the refereeing was unfair, since the majority of the cards originated from conduct that was not directly related to the fouls committed.