Madrid, April 17:

A Spanish referee will file a complaint to police after claiming to have received death threats following Real Madrid’s league defeat at Racing Santander.

Javier Turienzo Alvarez said he had been called “more than 50 times” after awarding two second-half penalties that gave Santander a 2-1 win on Saturday. The loss has hurt Madrid’s hopes of winning the Spanish league title, leaving the team five points behind leader Barcelona with eight games remaining.

“I’m going to report these calls to the police because I want them to stop,” Turienzo Alvarez said. “They are strong threats, both against my life and that of my family members.” Turienzo Alvarez said he feared more for his relatives than himself. “I have a daughter of six who yesterday came home from the park in tears. My daughter said, ‘The children say I have hurt Madrid,’ Alvarez said.

Madrid blamed Alvarez for their loss, with the club’s sports director, Predrag Mijatovic, saying “strange things are happening their team.”

Spain’s Referees’ Committee is reportedly considering asking the federation to take action against Mijatovic.