VAR Audio Reveals Atletico Derby Referee Decisions
CTA releases audio logs from the Madrid derby, clarifying the Romero booking and Huijsen red card while leaving the Lee-Valverde incident unexplained.
Key points
- VAR audio confirms the Romero booking was due to mistaken identity, not a direct red card recommendation.
- The Huijsen red card was upheld after VAR clarified the goalkeeper was out of reach during the challenge.
- No audio was released for the Lee-Valverde incident, leaving the missed red card decision unexplained.
The darkened control room hums with the low buzz of active servers, a stark contrast to the roaring chaos of the stadium. On a rectangular monitor, the footage of the Madrid derby freezes, isolating two moments that defined the match's outcome. The Technical Referees’ Committee has released the raw audio from these interventions, peeling back the layer of speculation to reveal the precise language used by officials in the booth.
These recordings do not just confirm the final decisions; they expose the cognitive process behind them. They clarify why Cristian Romero’s card was swapped and why Dean Huijsen was sent off, yet they conspicuously omit the explanation for the most controversial omission of the night. As reported by Yahoo Sports, the audio provides a forensic look at how match referee Ortiz Arias navigated the pressure of the biggest rivalry in Spanish football.
Correcting the Mistaken Identity
The first incident began with a misidentification that nearly cost Jude Bellingham his place on the pitch. Ortiz Arias had initially booked the Real Madrid midfielder for a foul, but the video assistant flagged a different reality. The audio captures the VAR official’s calm, directive tone as he instructs the referee to review the footage, specifically noting that the Atletico player was the one who stepped on the ball carrier.
There was no suggestion of a red card in the initial prompt. Instead, the focus was on the identity of the offender. Ortiz Arias moved to the monitor, the tension in the booth palpable even through the sterile microphones. He confirmed the visual evidence, rescinding the yellow card for Bellingham and issuing the booking to Romero. The decision was a correction of fact, not an escalation of punishment.
Huijsen’s Dismissal Clarified
The second review carried far heavier consequences, leaving Real Madrid with ten men. Initially, Ortiz Arias had awarded a penalty and a yellow card for Dean Huijsen’s challenge on Giuliano Simeone. The VAR official Trujillo Suarez intervened, describing the play with clinical precision: a defender holding back an opponent with no chance to contest the ball during a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
The audio reveals the referee’s internal shift in perspective. Ortiz Arias acknowledged that his initial judgment had been skewed by the proximity of the goalkeeper. Upon reviewing the angle, he realized the keeper was out of reach. The yellow card was flipped to red, a decisive moment that altered the trajectory of the match and secured Atletico’s advantage in the final stretch.
The Missing Lee Explanation
Despite the clarity provided for the two reviewed incidents, a significant gap remains. The released audio contains no conversation regarding Kang-in Lee’s challenge on Federico Valverde. This silence is deafening, given the committee’s own admission that the failure to intervene was an error. The absence of this dialogue leaves one of the derby’s most disputed moments in the dark, unexplained and unresolved.
