Outrage at Real Madrid tactics

Real Madrid are being accused of resorting to desperate tactics in a bid to gain advantage over Barcelona in the race for the La Liga title.

With the season nearing its conclusion, Real are six points adrift of leaders Barcelona with four games to play.

Real full-back Roberto Carlos has already claimed that Real Sociedad, whom Barcelona play on the final day of season, will just roll over and let the Catalans win.

"You can forget the last game in San Sebastian," Carlos was quoted as saying on Tuesday. "Barcelona only have three games really because their fourth against Real Sociedad doesn't exist.

"The other day when they played us the Real Sociedad fans were cheering 'Barca, Barca' during the match and so they've already got that match in the bag.

"I don't count that game after what I saw on Saturday. Sociedad won't play as hard against Barcelona as they did against us. Everyone wants to beat Real Madrid, everyone wants to beat the best team in the world."

The comments have provoked an angry riposte from Real Sociedad defender Aitor Lopez Rekarte, who dismissed them as "drivel".

"It is complete drivel when they take it for granted that Barca will win their last game here in Anoeta," the fullback was quoted as saying in sports daily Marca on Wednesday.

"The truth is that given where these declarations come from and the way in which they were said, they don't even offend me."

Meanwhile, the decision by Real's website to lavish praise on the referee for their next game against Racing Santander, Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez, appears to have backfired after the official took exception to criticism of a colleague by the same page.

Bernadino Gonzalez Vazquez came in for some harsh criticism from the Real website for his handling of the match against Villarreal, during which he sent off Zinedine Zidane and Walter Samuel.

"A week ago the same page accused a colleague of committing seven capital sins and of being a Barcelona fan," said Iturralde Gonzalez. "Maybe now they are trying to clean up their image, but I prefer these compliments after the game not before.

"Each person tries to use the weapons at their disposal and this is the one they (Real) are trying to use at the moment ... I'm very annoyed as it seems that the only people that make mistakes are the referees.

"This campaign is being directed, but these sort of things can generate violence."

Does it matter ? a win is a win at the end the day !

it doesnt matter how you win as long as you get the 3 points, at the end of the day thats what they set out to do and as long as they achive it the team and manager are happy.