Referee bias in La Liga?

My answer to that is yes, but you're not going to like the qualification to that answer. There is bias, certainly, but towards one or the other of the duopoly that dominates both the sporting and journalistic landscapes of La Liga? No. There is no Villarato, that grand conspiracy cooked up by a feeble-minded Diario As editor with more time on his hands than sense.Villarato, named after President Villar of the Spanish FA, to justify the reason why Real Madrid have lost three consecutive leagues and is in the process of throwing away another.

Forget the fact that Real Madrid have been faced with the task of defeating the greatest club side of this generation. Ignore the fact that despite throwing an immense pile of cash at the market, with financial fair-play laws looming, that the merengues have one signing, one magisterial name to hang onto their banners and a series of busts, once-weres, and never will-bes. Set aside the fact that despite having the greatest manager of his generation directing traffic, that Real Madrid still has only one trophy to show for his grand leadership scheme. Instead, the blame falls squarely on referee bias: why, porque, per che, por qouis?

How does one continue making that statement that the referees are denying Real Madrid their rightful place, when they have been the beneficiaries of 11 penalties, 11 certain goals for that magisterial forward Cristiano Ronaldo, and until this very weekend they had not received a penalty awarded against them since midway through last season.Bias? I'd say they were doing pretty well by the refs considering the very physical games they've played. Pepe's antics, the elbows to heads of opposing players while trying to win a ball in the air, the handballs in the area that aren't called, and the late challenges, and through all of that border-line allowed play they were still in the top four in fair-play? They've received 74 yellows and only 5 reds all year, percentage points behing third place Real Sociedad.When you factor in what I call penalty differential, that stat much like goal differential both for and against, there is no club that is better served by referees in La Liga than Real Madrid who have a PD of +10. Now don't think this is a tract against you madridistas. It's not. Granted, Barcelona are the least penalized club in Spain with only 65 yellows and three red cards, just a point ahead of Malaga, but the refs aren't helping FC Barcelona, or at least significantly more than they are helping Real Madrid.

If there were no referee bias you would say that referee decisions even out all year, and they would fall plus or minus one or two points on the line and the great majority of them do. Over 60% of teams in La Liga fall under that statistical line, but four teams in Spain have taken the brunt of penalties called against them: Real Betis, Osasuna, Athletic Club and Espanyol which has whopping -5 PD. Espanyol is the most aggrieved case. They have one penalty called for them all year and have had six called against them. They are also dead last in fair-play. Is this a club that plays on a knife's edge, cheating and fouling their way to a top-ten finish every year? No, they play and expansive and attractive game, and yet they are the most penalized team in Spain, the team most affected by referee bias.

Referee bias? I agree, for clubs large and small, and for reasons that are difficult to ascertain or delineate, but for or against Real Madrid or Barcelona? Forget about it.They are beneficiaries, both of them, not victims.