Before the second half of the Barcelona-Valladolid match began, Díaz de Mera made a specific request to Pezzolano: “I only ask one thing. I know there are many complaints, right? I want you not to hit... not to hit, okay?” On a night when Hansi Flick’s Barcelona achieved a commanding 7-0 victory, Valladolid's players were shown three yellow cards after committing 12 fouls. This number seems reasonable, but it starkly contrasts with the treatment of Real Madrid’s opponents, who frequently disrupt Madrid’s play without facing similar disciplinary action.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side is the third most-fouled team in La Liga, but their rivals have seen significantly fewer yellow cards. In the four league games played so far, only Pablo Maffeo in the first match against Mallorca and Marcos André in the second against Valladolid have received yellow cards for fouling Madrid. The team has endured a total of 57 fouls, meaning that, on average, it takes 28.5 fouls committed against Madrid to result in a card.

This disparity in officiating reflects a different standard applied to Real Madrid compared to other teams. For example, Barcelona, the team with the most yellow cards for its rivals, has a much more favourable balance: 13 yellow cards in 53 fouls, translating to a card for every four fouls committed by their rivals. In contrast, Real Madrid's opponents have received just two yellow cards for 57 fouls, with Betis and Mallorca both escaping without a card despite committing 17 and 11 fouls, respectively.

Teams with the Most Yellow Cards for Their Rivals:

• Barcelona: 13
• Valencia: 12
• Villarreal: 12
• Real Sociedad: 11
• Alavés: 10
• Atlético Madrid: 9
• Sevilla: 9
• Celta: 8
• Las Palmas: 8
• Leganés: 8
• Valladolid: 8
• Getafe: 7
• Rayo Vallecano: 7
• Girona: 6
• Espanyol: 6
• Mallorca: 4
• Betis: 3
• Osasuna: 3
• Real Madrid: 2

Currently, Real Madrid players have committed 38 fouls in La Liga (15 fewer than they have endured) and have received six cards, two of which were for protesting. This means the team has to commit an average of 9.5 fouls to receive a single card.

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