Álvaro Arbeloa criticized referee Soto Grado following Real Madrid’s draw against Betis at La Cartuja, pointing to two key decisions that he believes influenced the outcome of the match.

"For me, it was very clear. It doesn't take much in situations like that where you're using your body; if you're unbalanced even slightly, you go down. You need to understand a bit about football, which I think is where we have a problem: many people, especially those who have to make these kinds of decisions, don't know or understand. It's clear we suffered another disappointment in the final minutes, as has happened to us many times before. It's a result we didn't deserve because we had chances. There was also a very clear penalty in the first half that we could have used to close out the game."

The Real Madrid coach specifically referred to a potential handball incident involving a Betis defender during a Brahim shot in the first half, as well as a possible foul by Antony on Mendy in the buildup to Bellerín’s late equalizer.

"For me, it's a clear penalty, with his hand outstretched and not close to his body on Brahim's shot. There's not much more to see in such a clear play, just like the last one. When Ferland Mendy has won the position, if they grab you even slightly or touch your arm, it's a foul. It's a very basic thing in the world of football, but it's not the first time something like this has happened to us. I think these are two decisions that really influenced the game."

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