Spanish referee: They didn't let me ref Real Madrid after I sent off Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Spanish referee Estrada Fernández shared controversial statements on the programme 'ElDesmarque Mediodía' last Friday, in which he addressed the challenges referees face when officiating matches of big teams such as FC Barcelona, Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid.

Fernandez stressed that referees often feel conditioned when refereeing big-name teams. Comparing this experience to refereeing a local team from his neighbourhood, the former referee explained: "It's not the same refereeing your local team as it is refereeing a big team like Barça, Madrid or Atletico Madrid. If you make a mistake, the Committee penalises you, as it did with Munuera Montero in the last game."

The former referee also shared a personal experience to illustrate his point: "What's more, you don't referee the big teams any more. I have an example of mine from 2009 when I sent off Cristiano Ronaldo, that season I didn't referee Real Madrid any more. You know that there are media repercussions and that you have to be very careful when it comes to making a decision.

The situation that Estrada Fernández referred to occurred during a match between Real Madrid and Almería in 2009. In that match, Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off after removing his shirt and assaulting an opponent, resulting in a double yellow card.

Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding refereeing decisions, Estrada Fernandez has reignited the discussion about the difficulty of refereeing the bigger teams and how these situations can have an impact on referees' careers.