Scandal! Real Madrid release official statement on refereeing in Atlético derby
Real Madrid are furious with the refereeing in the Madrid derby and have publicly expressed their dissatisfaction following the defeat to Atlético.
Details: Following their 2-1 defeat at the Metropolitano, Real Madrid published an official match report criticizing referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias for failing to send off two Atlético players in the first half. The club's statement reads:
“Real Madrid lose the derby at the Metropolitano in a match marked by Ortiz Arias’ VERY TERRIBLE REFEREEING. He failed to send off Cuti Romero in the first half for stepping on Bellingham’s knee (despite going to the monitor to review the incident), nor did he send off Kang-In Lee for stepping on Valverde’s left ankle. Both decisions had an impact on the match, which was ultimately decided in Atlético’s favor in the second half.”
The first controversial incident occurred in the 35th minute, when Romero caught Bellingham on the knee with his studs. Ortiz Arias initially booked the Real Madrid midfielder, but after reviewing the incident on the monitor, he overturned that decision and showed the Atlético defender a yellow card instead of a red.
Nine minutes later, Kang-In Lee caught Federico Valverde on the left ankle. The referee did not show the Atlético player a card, and VAR did not recommend an on-field review. Real Madrid believe both incidents warranted dismissals and significantly affected the course of the derby.
It is worth noting that Atlético eventually won 2-1. Alejandro Grimaldo opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Dean Huijsen was sent off, Jonathan David doubled the advantage, and Antonio Rüdiger scored Real Madrid's only goal in the 89th minute.
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Steven Perez
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