Real Madrid defender suspended for one match as appeal to overturn red card rejected | OneFootball

Real Madrid are set to be without key defender Dean Huijsen this weekend when they face RCD Espanyol, as he has been hit with a one-match suspension.

Huijsen was shown a red card against Real Sociedad in La Liga last weekend, following which Real Madrid lodged an appeal to get it overturned.

However, the RFEF Disciplinary Committee has rejected the appeal and handed the young centre-back a one-match ban.

What happened?

Huijsen was sent off in the 32nd minute for a foul on Mikel Oyarzabal. Referee Gil Manzano judged it as denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and recorded in his match report:

“He was sent off for bringing down an opponent, thereby denying a clear goal-scoring chance.”

Real Madrid contested the decision, arguing that Eder Militao’s proximity and the distance from goal meant it could not be considered a clear chance.

In their appeal, Los Blancos submitted video footage as evidence and stated that “there is a manifest material error in considering that the action of the aforementioned expelled player did not prevent a clear goal-scoring opportunity.”

Dean Huijsen has been suspended for one game. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

However, the committee ruled that the images provided did not prove a “manifest material error” and upheld the referee’s interpretation.

Quoting Article 27 of the Disciplinary Code, the committee stressed that referees’ match reports are binding unless there is an “obvious material error”:

“In assessing infractions related to sports discipline, the referee’s decisions on facts related to the game are final and are presumed to be true, unless there is a manifest material error.

“The assessment of the existence or not of an ‘obvious goalscoring opportunity’ constitutes a technical decision relating to the interpretation and application of the Laws of the Game.

“Such matters are the exclusive responsibility of the referees and cannot be reviewed by the disciplinary bodies once the commission of the infraction has been verified.”

CTA admits error

As a result, Huijsen will serve the minimum sanction of one match, even though the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) had already admitted that the red card was a mistake.

Indeed, Marta Frias, spokesperson for the CTA, confirmed on Tuesday that Huijsen should not have been sent off:

“This Committee understands that 100% of the criteria for DOGSO are not met and that the most appropriate sanction would have been a yellow card.”

However, the spokeperson also defended the VAR’s decision to not intervene: “The VAR only intervenes in clear, obvious, and manifest errors.

“This play falls within what we call gray issues, those that admit more than one interpretation. The decision should have been left to the main referee and the VAR acted correctly by not intervening.”

Given the bizarre situation, Real Madrid are taking the matter to the Appeals Committee.

Source: AS