Le Normand's red card and the controversial penalty: LaLiga proves Atlético right within 24 hours

Atlético de Madrid did not need a full day to feel that their anger over the refereeing in the second round of LaLiga was justified. The Rojiblancos were punished by two highly debatable penalties and a red card that altered the course of their match against Espanyol, and 24 hours later, a nearly identical incident elsewhere in Spanish football was read in a completely different way.

• Two very soft penalties, especially the first one from Hjulmand on Buchanan, shaped the match between Atlético and Espanyol.
• The main controversy was Robin Le Normand's penalty, which led to a straight red card after VAR intervened on an incident not called in real time.
• Jan Oblak argued that applying this standard would lead to hundreds of penalties every season.
• In the Málaga-Deportivo match, a very similar push by Ximo Navarro on Joaquín was not given as a penalty nor reviewed by VAR.
• Málaga coach Juan Francisco Funes quipped: 'Le Normand would have liked our referee.'

Two penalties that dismantled Atlético against Espanyol

The game at the Metropolitano shifted completely after two decisions from Alejandro Hernández Hernández. The first punished an alleged foul by Morten Hjulmand on Buchanan, although the Canadian appeared to initiate contact against the Danish midfielder. Atlético's players did not hide their surprise at an interpretation that, under other circumstances, rarely results in a penalty.

Le Normand's penalty and the red card that changed everything

If the first punishment hurt, the second proved decisive. Robin Le Normand pushed Georges Mikautadze inside the box and, even though Hernández Hernández did not see it live, the VAR review changed the decision: penalty and a straight red card for the center-back. The play falls under the new 'CARD' manual, which imposes severe sanctions on grabbing and pushing that deliberately block an attacker without challenging for the ball.

'If every tug and push is called like that, you would see hundreds of penalties per season,' warned Jan Oblak.

Atlético believe the intensity of the contact did not justify such a severe punishment. Their protest went beyond the sending-off: it was about the suspicion that the same standard is not applied consistently across all grounds. Time, only a few hours, seemed to confirm that feeling.

The Málaga-Deportivo incident that fueled the controversy

In the match between Málaga and Deportivo de La Coruña, Ximo Navarro pushed Joaquín while the forward was about to shoot, with no real chance of playing the ball. The sequence looked strikingly similar to the tackle that got Le Normand sent off, but neither the referee Alberola Rojas nor the VAR decided to intervene. No card, no penalty, no call.

The difference in interpretation, within such a short period of time, did not go unnoticed by Málaga's coach. Juan Francisco Funes, with clear sarcasm, said at his press conference: 'It's not a penalty because it wasn't given, but Le Normand would have liked to have had our referee today.' One sentence that captured the mood of many Atlético fans.

The CARD protocol: why VAR punished Le Normand while other referees do not apply it

The CARD manual introduces stricter instructions for referees when it comes to penalizing holding and pushing that deliberately blocks an attacking player. The aim is to reduce tactical fouls that break up promising moves, including inside the penalty area. However, its application still depends on how each official judges the intensity of the contact and whether the defender genuinely tries to play the ball.

In Le Normand's case, VAR decided that the defender did not challenge for the ball and that his shove was enough to bring down Mikautadze. In Málaga, Ximo Navarro's action showed clear similarities, yet neither the referee nor the video assistant believed there was an infraction. That inconsistency is exactly what Atlético are complaining about: not the punishment itself, but the lack of a uniform standard.

What is at stake for Atlético after a controversial start in LaLiga

The second matchday left Atlético with a draw that feels short and, above all, with the sense that they lost control of the game early because of decisions they could not influence. Le Normand's sending-off forces the coach to rebuild his defense for the upcoming fixtures, while the squad digests what many see as an officiating defeat that was never part of the plan.

Beyond the points, Atlético face the risk that this type of call sets the tone for a season in which the title race can be decided by fine margins. If the CARD manual is enforced harshly only in selected matches, the competition could become a coin flip influenced by refereeing inconsistency.

Funes' irony and the social media echo: one sentence that sums up the frustration

Juan Francisco Funes' remark quickly went viral. Not only because it contained an uncomfortable truth, but because it came from a coach with no particular interest in Atlético's cause, yet he exposed the double standard in refereeing. His 'Le Normand would have liked our referee' touched a nerve: the feeling that the rules change depending on which official is in charge.

For Atlético, the comment was a poisoned gift. It confirmed that the problem is not just an internal perception, but an observable reality for anyone comparing two nearly identical plays with opposite outcomes. Now the ball is in the refereeing committee's court, as they will have to explain why VAR did not act the same way in both cases.