Rodri says Madrid’s accusations “damage football”

Rodri Hernández, Barcelona midfielder, addressed the controversy surrounding the latest Madrid derby—especially the accusations linked to the refereeing. As Mundo Deportivo reports, the player explained what he saw during the match and also discussed the comments made by José Mourinho after it. Mourinho had complained about the choice of referee Ortiz Arias and suggested the technical officials “had achieved what they intended,” implying the team could have been targeted.

His take on the game

In an interview with Cadena COPE, Rodri said the match was balanced from a footballing perspective. He argued that Atlético Madrid looked better on the pitch, made better decisions, and carried much of the game, so he felt their win was deserved. On refereeing incidents, he acknowledged there were actions that could have been handled differently: he said Cuti Romero’s case is harder to judge because of whether the foot can be removed in time, while for Kang-in Lee—whom he believes didn’t do it “on purpose”—a red card might have been possible.

Still, he stressed that referees can make mistakes, but he doesn’t believe such errors “carry through” across an entire 38-game league season.

“Football comes first”

When Juanma Castaño pushed further, asking how it sits in the Barça dressing room that the league is supposedly prepared for the Blaugrana, Rodri was clear. He said those kinds of narratives “damage football” and that “football comes first.” He added that everyone is human and that sometimes you can be helped and sometimes hurt, but insisted defending your club and your position should have limits.

Finally, Rodri was asked about Real Madrid’s interest in signing him this summer. Mundo Deportivo notes he confirmed the interest was there “from the very beginning,” with proposals aimed directly at getting him, before choosing FC Barcelona.