VAR review in Madrid derby was not for Cuti Romero red card, referees’ committee says

The Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) has clarified that VAR intervened during the Madrid derby because the wrong player had been booked, rather than to assess whether Atletico de Madrid defender Cuti Romero should have been sent off.

Referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias initially showed Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham a yellow card following a challenge involving Romero. He was then called to the pitchside monitor by the VAR official.

After reviewing the incident, Ortiz Arias overturned Bellingham’s booking and awarded the foul against Romero, who was shown the yellow card instead.

The CTA said the VAR room could have summoned the referee for two possible reasons: to correct the identity of the player who had been cautioned, or to review a potential sending-off offence.

However, the officials decided that the issue was the identity of the player receiving the yellow card. The committee did not regard the incident as one that met the threshold for a red card.

The decision prompted strong protests from Real Madrid players, who initially believed Ortiz Arias was reviewing the possibility of sending off Romero. The nature and purpose of the VAR intervention became clear only later.

Former international referee Iturralde Gonzalez took a different view of the challenge. Speaking on the programme Carrusel Deportivo, he said Romero’s challenge should have resulted in a red card.

“It was a tackle with excessive force. The player tried to win the ball and extended his leg to stamp on him. That blow, with excessive force, deserves a red card,” Iturralde Gonzalez said.

He was equally firm when discussing another incident involving Kang-in Lee and Federico Valverde, arguing that the Atletico de Madrid player should also have been dismissed after stepping heavily on the Real Madrid midfielder’s ankle from behind.

The former referee said the challenge involved excessive force and occurred in a highly dangerous area. He added that stamping above the ankle and on the Achilles tendon with that level of force could have caused Valverde an injury.