Controversies arise in Madrid derby as refereeing decisions questioned
The recent Madrid derby once again captured attention due to its numerous controversies, particularly a couple of dubious refereeing decisions that appeared to favour Atletico Madrid.
One of the most significant incidents was Kang-in Lee’s challenge on Federico Valverde, which resulted in an injury for the Real Madrid midfielder that will sideline him for several weeks.
Lee’s challenge was both blatant and dangerous, and on another day, the Atletico Madrid player could have easily received a red card. However, that was not the case this time.
Kang-In should have been sent off
According to the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Kang-In Lee should have indeed been dismissed for the perilous challenge on Valverde just before half-time, as reported by AS.
“Kang-In Lee is launching to cut a preview of Fede Valverde. It impacts with the cleats on the leg with joint twisting and high risk of injury.
“Direct free kick and red card. Clear and manifest error of the referee. The VAR should have intervened,” the CTA confirmed.
This represents a significant acknowledgment of error, with the officials admitting that both referee Ortiz Arias and the VAR failed to adequately penalise an action classified as serious foul play.
Had Kang-In been sent off, the outcome of the derby could have been quite different, and Real Madrid would not have lost Valverde to injury in the process.
The Cuti Romero decision defended
However, the CTA maintained its stance on another contentious incident involving Cristian Romero and Jude Bellingham, asserting that the yellow card issued was correct.
Initially, Ortiz Arias had called a foul against Bellingham, but the VAR intervened to indicate an identity error and reversed the decision. Real Madrid argued that the challenge warranted a red card, but the Committee disagreed.
“Cuti Romero, after playing the ball, steps on Bellingham’s leg. There is an intensity with high interpretive load. The stomp is produced in the same incident assessed by the referee.
“On the monitor he evaluates the stomp as a reckless one,” the Committee explained, concluding: “It’s direct free kick and yellow card. The VAR was right to intervene.”
The CTA also supported the decision to send off Real Madrid’s Dean Huijsen and award Atletico a penalty, ruling that Giuliano Simeone had the position secured before being fouled.
For Real Madrid, the acknowledgment regarding Kang-In provides little solace given the final result, and with Valverde now out of action, frustration at the Bernabeu is likely to escalate.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has responded to Real Madrid’s criticisms with a strongly worded statement, defending his position on refereeing complaints and rejecting the club’s demand for greater neutrality from him.
This statement came just two hours after Real Madrid released an official statement condemning Tebas and even calling for a change in leadership.
In their statement, Real Madrid described Tebas’ remarks regarding their refereeing complaints as “serious and incomprehensible” and “unbecoming of a responsible executive.”
Real Madrid accused Tebas of consistently targeting the club and claimed his interventions were detrimental to the image of Spanish football.
The club also called for a leader capable of managing the competition with an “elementary duty of neutrality.”
In his full statement, Tebas began by agreeing with one point made by Real Madrid: the president of La Liga is not the owner of the competition. He quickly added that the same applies to Real Madrid’s president.
“I’ve read the statement. I fully agree with one phrase: the president of La Liga is not the owner of the competition. The president of Real Madrid isn’t either,” he stated.
Tebas also addressed claims suggesting that La Liga lacks value without Real Madrid and that referees are damaging the business that supports them.
He noted that Real Madrid’s response did not address those comments, which he described as the reason for his original intervention.
“Representing all the clubs requires defending equality and equity among them. Also when it’s claimed that ‘La Liga is worth nothing’ without Real Madrid or that referees harm ‘the business that feeds them.'”
“On those statements, which prompted my response, your statement doesn’t say a word.”
Further criticising Real Madrid’s stance, he accused the club of attempting to divert attention.
“Now they take cover in the fact that I responded to an ‘independent’ journalist. But neither the narrative is new nor is the strategy of diverting attention from other problems.
“They’ve been doing it for years from Real Madrid TV and through their mouthpieces, talking and writing about a tampered League week after week.”
Source: Madrid Universal