Spanish referees committee admits Kang-in Lee should have seen red for tackle on Valverde

The Madrid derby continues to generate discussion long after the final whistle. Spain's Technical Committee of Referees has now broken its silence over the most controversial incidents from the clash between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, and its verdict backs up the complaints from the Bernabeu: Kang-in Lee's challenge on Fede Valverde should have been punished with a red card. The committee confirmed its position in its 'Review Time' segment, where it also addressed the incident between Cuti Romero and Jude Bellingham.

• The CTA believes Kang-in Lee should have been sent off for his studs-up challenge on Fede Valverde.
• Real Madrid claim Valverde suffered a grade 3 ankle sprain from that incident.
• Cuti Romero's tackle on Bellingham is described as highly interpretive.
• VAR was right to correct the yellow card shown to Dean Huijsen, which should have been red.

The Kang-in Lee tackle on Valverde that VAR chose to ignore

The most controversial incident of the derby involved Atletico Madrid forward Kang-in Lee. The South Korean lunged in to stop Fede Valverde from advancing and caught the Uruguayan midfielder on the leg with his studs. For the Technical Committee of Referees, there is no debate: the play involved joint torsion and a high risk of injury, meaning the correct decision was a direct free kick and a red card.

Referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias did not show any card to the Atletico player, and VAR did not instruct him to review the incident. The CTA labels this as a clear and obvious error, insisting that the video assistant referee should have intervened to correct a decision that left a straight red card offense completely unpunished.

Fede Valverde finished the match injured with a grade 3 sprain

Kang-in Lee's stamp did not end as a minor incident. Real Madrid say Fede Valverde finished the game with a grade 3 ankle sprain, an injury that adds fuel to the debate over the officiating. The Uruguayan, a key piece in Carlo Ancelotti's setup, had to play through the pain until the end of the match.

The severity of the injury backs up the CTA's position: a studs-up challenge that causes an ankle torsion and leaves the opposing player with a severe sprain should have resulted in a red card. The fact that neither the on-field referee nor VAR took action has sparked serious frustration within the Madrid camp.

What the CTA says about Cuti Romero's stamp on Bellingham

The other flashpoint involved Argentine defender Cuti Romero and Jude Bellingham. In this case, VAR did recommend an on-field review due to a possible case of mistaken identity. After checking the monitor, Ortiz Arias showed the Atletico centre-back a yellow card after deeming the stamp reckless.

The Technical Committee of Referees describes this incident as highly interpretive. According to its analysis, it was a 50-50 ball between two players and Romero, after making contact with the ball, stepped on the English midfielder's leg. The committee explains that Ortiz Arias initially confused the nature of the offense, which is why VAR's intervention was correct in this instance, allowing the referee to properly assess the challenge.

The sending-off that came late: Huijsen escaped in real time

The CTA also reviewed the incident in which Real Sociedad defender Dean Huijsen conceded a penalty on Giuliano Simeone. The referee showed the Dutch player a yellow card, a decision the committee considers wrong. Huijsen grabbed the Argentine forward by the arm with no chance of winning the ball, in a clear cause-and-effect play with the attacker in a scoring position and heading toward goal.

This time, VAR did intervene and corrected the decision, showing the red card that should have accompanied the penalty. The refereeing body highlights that it was a clear and obvious error by the match official and that the video assistant referee acted correctly by recommending the review.

'Review Time': the CTA's public analysis of controversial calls

The Technical Committee of Referees uses its 'Review Time' segment to publish official assessments of the most contentious decisions from each round of fixtures. It is a tool designed to bring transparency to refereeing standards and explain, play by play, whether officials made the right call or got it wrong.

For the Madrid derby, the CTA's balance sheet acknowledges two serious mistakes: the failure to send off Kang-in Lee, which should have been corrected by VAR, and the initial yellow card shown to Huijsen, which was fixed in time. The incident between Romero and Bellingham is flagged as open to interpretation, with the final decision considered correct.