How the top of La Liga would look without this season's refereeing errors
Spain's top flight would look completely different if there had been no mistakes by the officials
The La Liga table would have a different look if this season's incorrect refereeing decisions were taken into account. It would mean that Barcelona jump ahead of Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid side, although the latter would still have their game in hand.
Refereeing decisions in the 20 rounds of fixtures so far this season have had a big impact on the results of five Barcelona games. In four of them, the Blaugrana have lost points (Celta, Malaga, Villarreal and Real Betis), while they have benefitted from poor decisions from officials in one game (Real Sociedad). The net loss, then, is six points -- seven lost and one gained. Barça would have 48 points instead of 42.
In the case of Real Madrid, refereeing decisions have allowed them an 'extra' seven points against Celta, Villarreal, Deportivo and Malaga, which would see them go from 46 points down to 39. The caveat is they would have a game in hand against Valencia on Feb. 22. The game was initially postponed due to the Club World Cup.
Hernandez Hernandez's serious error in Betis' draw with Barça, when he didn't give a clear goal to the Catalan side, meant two more points were dropped by Luis Enrique's men. It's also re-opened the debate about the need for technology in Spanish football -- epecially goal-line technology.
