Cruelty, impunity and shame

Let me say, to begin with, that I don't believe in refereeing conspiracies. Although they sell a lot and generate a stir in the spindle that Elon Musk has turned the old Twitter into, feeding them without conclusive evidence is hardly constructive. Referees make mistakes like the rest of the humans who are part of this circus called football, and until proven otherwise, I will refuse to claim that their rulings are deliberately in favor of certain interests. But be careful, there are nuances. Not believing in black hands is compatible with considering it a shame that Kylian Mbappé, the shining star of Real Madrid, has been suspended for just one game after his chilling entrance into the Alavés field.

The Real Madrid striker's flying kick on Antonio Blanco is the harshest tackle we've seen this season in La Liga, and it only received the minimum punishment from the sanctioning authorities. One match, that is, the same as a footballer pays for an accumulation of yellow cards or for a deliberate handball combined with a protest.

It's true that Soto Grado, with poor judgment, reflected in the report that the aggression was part of a dispute over the ball, and that this account makes it more difficult to justify a penalty of four or more duels. But in the 21st century, and given the seriousness of the action, this can no longer serve as a shield. The football offices, where testosterone is abundant and social responsibility is lacking, must have enough determination to sanction recklessness and, above all, cruelty. Because yes, Mbappé did go for it. He charged his leg, fired it, and almost ruined the career of a fellow professional. However, the sequence has gone almost unpunished.

That Real Madrid's Mbappé will only miss the next La Liga match and be available for the Copa del Rey final isn't the result of any conspiracy, but rather the worrying lack of decisiveness from the governing bodies regarding violent play. No matter how much a referee says all he wants on a report, criminal tackles like Sunday's can't be dealt with in a civil service manner.

The fact that they aren't escalated to the highest court and don't receive an exemplary punishment is the first step toward a repeat performance. And the worst part is that we seem to be regressing. It can't be that Goicoechea was banned for eight matches for his tackle on Maradona more than 40 years ago, while Mbappé is now paying an eighth of that for an action in which the biggest difference is that Blanco miraculously managed to continue playing. The comparison is shameful.