Former referee says Kang-in Lee challenge on Federico Valverde merited yellow, not red

A former international referee has rejected calls for Atletico de Madrid’s Kang-in Lee to have been sent off for his challenge on Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde during the Madrid derby.

Writing in Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Barencia Montero said referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias should have shown Kang-in Lee a yellow card בלבד for the strong tackle. His assessment runs contrary to the anger among Real Madrid supporters and the demands for a red card after the incident in Atletico’s 2-1 victory.

Montero also reviewed Ortiz Arias’s major decisions during a derby marked by intense competition, repeated physical challenges and tension on the touchline. He said the referee had a difficult match and made several errors in his use of disciplinary sanctions, although he generally applied the correct standard when judging fouls.

“Ortiz Arias adopted a cautious approach in a strong and exciting derby, with considerable competition and periods of tension,” Montero wrote.

“He made a clear physical effort to stay close to the action and tried to maintain control of the match, but he received little cooperation from the players. Overall, he maintained the right standard in dealing with fouls and punishments, although there were some errors of judgement.”

One of those mistakes was the yellow card initially shown to Jude Bellingham. Ortiz Arias later cancelled the booking after being advised by video assistant referee Daniel Jesus Trujillo to review the decision.

Montero believed the referee was correct to award a penalty to Giuliano after a challenge by Dean Huijsen. He also backed the decision to award another penalty and send off Huijsen after the defender fouled Simeone inside the penalty area, saying Huijsen had no genuine opportunity to play the ball.

The former referee said Ortiz Arias also had to calm members of the coaching staff on several occasions. Diego Simeone was booked early in the match for his protests and gestures towards the fourth official, although the referee was unable to stop the players’ repeated complaints.

Several other yellow cards were judged to be correct. Ortiz Arias booked Pubill for bringing down Kylian Mbappe, Romero for a strong challenge on Bellingham, and Bellingham for a forceful tackle on Julian Alvarez.

However, Montero said Kang-in Lee should have received only a yellow card for his challenge on Valverde. He also believed Baena should have been cautioned for repeatedly committing fouls, particularly during the first half.

Montero praised Trujillo’s interventions. The VAR correctly asked Ortiz Arias to review Bellingham’s booking, which was withdrawn and instead shown to Romero. Trujillo also acted correctly when he called the referee to review Huijsen’s yellow card, a process that resulted in the punishment being upgraded to a red card.