Rayo Vallecano midfielder Isi Palazon has alleged that referee Busquets Ferrer conceded he was wrong to award Barcelona a controversial penalty involving teenage forward Lamine Yamal during Sunday’s La Liga clash at Vallecas.
Speaking in the tunnel at halftime, Isi told teammates: “Guys, the referee just admitted his mistake,” a comment that was swiftly picked up and circulated across social media platforms.
Yamal, born in Spain to a Moroccan father and Equatoguinean mother, has quickly risen to prominence as one of Barcelona’s brightest young stars.
The incident unfolded when Yamal went down in the box under minimal contact, prompting Ferrer to point to the spot.
Vallecano players erupted in protest, surrounding the referee and demanding a VAR review. Despite the objections, the penalty stood, fuelling frustration among the home side.
After the match, Isi expanded on the sense of injustice within the squad. “In the end, being called for a penalty that wasn’t a penalty makes you angry and helpless. He could say a thousand outrageous things here.
“He’s also a person and makes mistakes, but what a coincidence that they always make the same mistakes in favour of the same teams. That pisses us off,” the midfielder said.
While critical of the decision, Isi stopped short of attacking Ferrer personally, conceding that admitting to the error at least showed integrity. “Acknowledging the error honours him, saying he was wrong. I’m going to bite my tongue,” he added.
