La Liga leaders Real Madrid are allegedly considering the unprecedented step of moving to a different league over what they perceive to be biased refereeing decisions going against them.
Carlo Ancelotti's men have now failed to win any of their last three matches in the top flight after the weekend's 1-1 draw with Osasuna, where Jude Bellingham was controversially given a straight red card in the first half.
The England international was accused of saying "f*** you" to on-field official Jose Luis Munuera Montero, and he could now be suspended for as many as 12 matches if found to have directly insulted the referee.
Both Bellingham and Ancelotti refuted the referee's report, though, with the former claiming that there was "miscommunication" and Ancelotti stating that Bellingham said "f*** off", and not directly towards Montero.
Real Madrid also had two notable penalty calls turned down during the first half, one for a handball and one for a perceived foul on Vinicius Junior, before Ante Budimir cancelled out Kylian Mbappe's opener from the spot.
Real Madrid to seek 'asylum' in different league?
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Los Blancos' frustrations with officials had already threatened to boil over before the weekend, and according to Sport, the Spanish giants are now debating whether to join another one of Europe's top leagues and leave La Liga behind.
The outlet claims that Italy's Serie A, Germany's Bundesliga and France's Ligue 1 could be viable options for the 15-time European champions; there is no mention of a possible switch to the Premier League.
However, Real Madrid would need to jump through several hoops to complete an astounding exit from La Liga and join a different division, which would need the green light from FIFA, UEFA and the league itself.
The reigning Champions League winners had already taken their fight against officiating in Spain to another level earlier this month, sending a formal complaint to the Spanish Football Federation after losing 1-0 to Espanyol.
La Liga president Javier Tebas subsequently fired back at Real Madrid, warning the La Liga leaders that the sport does not "revolve" around them and accusing them of 'losing their minds'.
Tebas: 'Football does not revolve around Real Madrid'
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"They are against everything. That is the reality," Tebas said during a meeting of RFEF officials, La Liga clubs and refereeing representatives earlier this month.
"Real Madrid want to damage the competition, not just the referees. They have constructed a narrative of victimhood that culminated in the statement they released the other day. It is not true.
"We are going to file a complaint against the club and those who signed the letter and the board," he said. "We are analysing it from a legal point of view because, of course, this type of letter cannot be tolerated.
"It contains untruths or half-truths that are intended to influence issues that cannot be influenced... They have lost their minds... Football doesn't revolve around Real Madrid."
Real Madrid will be knocked off the top of the La Liga table by Barcelona should Hansi Flick's side beat Rayo Vallecano on Monday night, but they would only be behind the Blaugrana on head-to-head points in that scenario.
Ben Knapton
