After conceding two goals against Leganès, Andriy Lunin, Thibaut Courtois’ backup, made headlines in front of the press by talking about a “refereeing help” to win the 3-2 match. While his remarks caused an uproar in Madrid, the club is said to have warned the Ukrainian goalkeeper, who later defended himself on social media a few hours after.
Typically a reserve, Andriy Lunin took advantage of Thibaut Courtois’ latest physical issue to play over 90 minutes against Leganès this Saturday. In this match, part of the 29th round of La Liga, Real Madrid narrowly won 3-2. Some referee decisions, notably the penalty awarded to Arda Güler and a controversial Jude Bellingham action in the Madrid penalty area (a non-awarded penalty), are still stirring controversy in Spain. Although Real Madrid got away with it this time, Carlo Ancelotti insists they owe nothing to the referees.
“We must win these matches without help”
Before the intervention of the Madrid coach, Raúl Asencio and Andriy Lunin spoke to the club’s official television. In his comments, the Ukrainian goalkeeper made a statement suggesting that the victory against Leganès was made possible thanks to a helping hand from the referee.
“I don’t want to talk about the refereeing decisions. We must win these matches without help. I mean, we must solve these games by playing well, by playing in an organised way, by trying not to concede goals. Simple things. We have to win this way so as not to get involved in the world of referees,” he said.
Quickly, Lunin’s remarks were picked up by media hostile to Real Madrid. According to reports, several players and technical staff sought to understand the meaning behind the Ukrainian goalkeeper’s statement. In his defence, Courtois’ backup claimed he struggles with the Spanish language, despite having been in the country since 2018. On social media, particularly Instagram, Andriy Lunin sent the same message to the public: “Trying to take advantage of my lack of Spanish fluency doesn’t seem right to me, but I will try to improve. Well-deserved victory yesterday. Hala Madrid,” the goalkeeper wrote.
Andriy Lunin kept away from media appearances?
As several Madrid fans believe, the 26-year-old goalkeeper simply lacked tact in his media appearance. As Carlo Ancelotti brushed off the issue in the press conference, Andriy Lunin should have refrained from discussing refereeing, especially considering Real Madrid has already suffered from it multiple times this season. Talking about his level of Spanish remains a false issue that the club plans to use to prevent the player from engaging with the media.
Following this blunder, Lunin is expected to refrain from speaking to the press for some time. Under instructions from the management, only players known for their fluency with journalists will be allowed to speak during the remainder of the season. This is a radical decision aimed at avoiding controversies that do not benefit the club.
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