Bruno Paixao backs referee’s decision not to award Real Madrid a penalty in El Clasico

Former Portuguese referee Bruno Paixao says there was no justification for awarding Real Madrid a penalty during their 2-1 victory over Barcelona in El Clasico.

Real Madrid secured the win at Camp Nou on Sunday in the 10th round of La Liga, with the key incident occurring in the 70th minute.

Kylian Mbappe and Alejandro Balde were contesting the ball inside Barcelona’s penalty area when it struck the hand of the Barcelona defender. Mbappe appealed for a spot-kick, but referee Juan Martinez Munuera waved play on.

Paixao told Kooora on Monday that the decision was correct.

“I did not see any reason to award a penalty,” he said.

“Both players were competing for the ball, and it touched the Barcelona player’s hand unintentionally. There was no offence in this situation.”

The former official also assessed another incident from the match, which took place in the 38th minute.

Marc Cucurella attempted to stop Lamine Yamal, with the young Barcelona forward going to ground during the challenge. Paixao said the location of the incident was important when determining the appropriate punishment.

“As this situation occurred in the middle of the pitch, where there were other defenders, the decision is a free-kick,” he said.

He added: “This situation does not warrant a yellow card.”

The 2-1 result at Camp Nou gave Real Madrid victory in the latest meeting between the two clubs, while the two incidents examined by Paixao focused on whether either challenge should have led to a penalty or disciplinary action.