Barcelona, the team that benefits the most from opponents' red cards: the data

Some try to say that it's a made-up story, calling it "whining" from the team that dominates in Europe. The only thing you have to do is compare what happens in LaLiga with what happens in the Champions League to see that something is going on. Barcelona is the team that benefits the most from refereeing decisions.

It's not a story; it's the data that show how the Culers are the most favored. In this case, it's about the red cards they and their opponents receive, where there's a significant difference. If we take the data from the last 10 seasons (including the current one), it becomes clear.

Since the 2016-17 season, Barça is the LaLiga team that has benefited the most from red cards. Their opponents have been shown a red card 52 times. This is a devastating statistic that speaks for itself about what's been happening for quite some time.

The data could be even worse if we look at the net referee balance regarding red cards. This is the number that results from adding the red cards shown to their opponents and those shown to them. In this area, too, they are widely favored no matter how you look at it.

If we take the data from the 21st century, from the 2000-01 season to the current one, it's embarrassing. Barça has seen its net referee balance soar to +65, the highest in LaLiga. Meanwhile, Real Madrid is at -2, almost falling to the bottom of the list.

Adds up and continues despite the change in the CTA

This summer, there was a change in the CTA, with which they intended to look forward. That's why they avoided talking about the Negreira case, even though they owe many explanations about it. Even more so after what happened in Barça – Mallorca this Saturday.

They did send off Muriqi, after VAR intervention, and Morlanes, for a second yellow card. However, they didn't do the same with Raphinha despite an aggressive tackle on an opponent. This double standard helps explain the data that occur in LaLiga.