Atlético escape two reds, Huijsen sent off: derby refereeing row | OneFootball

The controversy of the Madrid derby

Real Madrid lost at the Metropolitano, are fourth in La Liga, and head into the break six points behind Barcelona. However, among Madrid fans, above all else, there is anger and outrage over the refereeing decisions that shaped the derby against Atlético. The match referee, Ortiz Arias, ended up stealing the spotlight in the much-anticipated showdown in the capital.

Atleti could have ended the first half not with one, but with two players sent off. The most controversial incident came from a challenge by Kang-in Lee. The South Korean planted his studs into Fede Valverde’s ankle. The Uruguayan ended up on the ground, but VAR did not even call the referee over to review the play. Nothing came of it.

The other possible red card did at least send Ortiz Arias to the monitor. Romero and Bellingham went for a loose ball. The Englishman slid in and the Argentine stuck his leg out. At first, a foul was given in favor of the Madrid player, who was also shown a booking, but the VOR room spotted a stomp by the Atlético player on the knee of Madrid’s number 5. After reviewing the incident, the referee limited himself to changing Bellingham’s yellow card to a yellow card for Romero. But there was still no red.

It would not be until the second half—and for a Real Madrid player—that Ortiz Arias pulled a red card from his pocket. Huijsen lost his composure and brought down Giuliano Simeone with his arms, just as he was about to receive the ball inside the box. At first, only a yellow was shown, but the decision changed after a VAR intervention.

Madrid’s anger was reflected in Mourinho’s press conference. "The one who should be happy is the Referees’ Committee. It was all very strange," said the Portuguese coach, directly taking aim at the Federation. Meanwhile, no club player came out to speak in the mixed zone as a sign of their fury.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.