Ortiz Arias faces possible suspension after controversial Madrid derby

Referee Ortiz Arias could be removed from officiating for at least two rounds after a series of contentious decisions during Atletico Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Real Madrid at the Metropolitano.

Archivo VAR, a platform specialising in disputed refereeing incidents, described the performance as one of the most memorable in recent years, claiming there were “four serious errors and two interventions by the video assistant referee, with two further incidents that have not yet been dealt with”.

According to Archivo VAR, a suspension is already being considered and Ortiz Arias could be “frozen” from refereeing for a minimum of two match rounds.

The first major incident involved Atletico Madrid player Cristian Romero stepping on Jude Bellingham. Archivo VAR said Ortiz Arias appeared to confuse the identities of the players and showed the yellow card to Bellingham, despite Romero being responsible for the foul.

VAR intervened and sent the referee to the pitchside monitor. Ortiz Arias then corrected the decision and booked Romero instead. Archivo VAR said the refereeing committee would need to assess how the VAR process handled the confusion over the identity of the player.

A second incident was described as more serious. Kang-in Lee caught Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde on the ankle with the studs of his boot. Ortiz Arias was only a few metres away but showed no card, not even a yellow one.

VAR did not intervene either. Archivo VAR said the decision could not be justified by the fact that Real Madrid restarted play quickly, because the referee was obliged to stop the match. It added that Valverde was directly in front of the official protesting about the challenge.

The incident was described as a sending-off missed twice: first by the referee and then by the video assistant referee.

A third error was eventually corrected, although only after a delay. Ortiz Arias awarded a penalty against Dean Huijsen for a foul on Giuliano Simeone, but showed only a yellow card.

Archivo VAR said a red card should have accompanied the penalty because there was no possibility of arguing that Huijsen had been competing for the ball. The centre-back was eventually sent off after VAR asked Ortiz Arias to review the incident on the monitor.

A fourth incident emerged on the morning after the match when footage from the stands was published. It appeared to show a handball by Bobby following a shot from Kylian Mbappe, which could have resulted in a penalty for Real Madrid. The footage was not shown again during the match.

Archivo VAR said: “To be clear and fair, this is unfortunate for Ortiz Arias. Although he is not an international referee, he has had a largely respectable career and this was his great opportunity. The problem is that he wasted it through his own decisions.”

The platform added that he could have stopped Atletico’s dangerous style of play from the opening minute, but repeatedly chose not to do so.

“The match was in his hands and he had the opportunity to read it, but he read it wrongly on purpose. He had his chance, but did not take it, and it will be difficult for him to receive a similar opportunity again,” it said.