CTA confirms red card for Atlético, Real draws in the Madrid Derby
The Spanish Technical Arbitration Committee (CTA) decided on Tuesday evening that Atlético Madrid should have received a red card in the heated Derbi Madrileño, giving Real Madrid finally parity in the debate over the officiating after the match and the ensuing controversy in the Spanish media.
Technical committee records red card
The CTA judged that referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias should have issued a direct red card to Kang-In Lee for a hard tackle on Federico Valverde. The committee called it a “free kick and direct red” and stated that the VAR should have intervened. This ruling supports Real Madrid’s complaint about an alleged mistake by the official. The CTA, the technical arbitration committee, thus provided clarity on Ortiz’s decisions.
Other incidents under the microscope
The committee confirmed the yellow card for Cristian Romero, but found that the Argentine defender deserved a red card for his charge on Jude Bellingham, who initially received a yellow. In addition, the red card for Real‑defender Dean Huijsen, who caused a penalty, was deemed justified; the VAR corrected an earlier yellow card from Ortiz for a foul on Giuliano Simeone. The committee found the situation around Romero to be open to interpretation, but regarded the charge as reckless.
Real Madrid calls La Liga boss Tebas' statements intolerable
Immediately after the match, Real‑manager José Mourinho, who displayed a printed A4‑sheet, expressed his dissatisfaction with the officiating. Both Atlético and Real issued statements, while La Liga president Javier Tebas in the Spanish media maintained that Ortiz and his colleagues had made no mistakes. The CTA ruling runs counter to Tebas’ earlier comments and strengthens Real’s position, while the exchange of accusations between the clubs and Tebas was marked by mutual blame.
Since Sunday evening, the role of officiating in the Derbi Madrileño has been a subject of discussion in the Spanish press. The debate escalated on X, where Real and Tebas continue to accuse each other. The controversy persists as the committee has clarified its stance.