Atletico Madrid Chief Fumes Over Barcelona, Real Madrid Referee Bias

Refereeing in Spain’s La Liga is under constant scrutiny.

Tensions boiled over at the Metropolitano on Saturday. | Alberto Gardin/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Atlético Madrid CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín took aim at Spanish referees after the “unacceptable” events that unfolded in the club’s 2–1 defeat to Barcelona at the weekend.

The first of three upcoming matches between the two Spanish giants kicked off at the Metropolitano on Saturday evening, where controversy marred yet another high profile La Liga match. Barcelona defender Gerard Martín was originally sent off by referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer after a brutal tackle on Thiago Almada.

The red card would have evened the odds for the hosts, who were already down to 10 men after Nico González received his marching orders in the first half for bulldozing Lamine Yamal. But the VAR Melero López intervened and told the on-field official to take a second look at Martín’s challenge.

To everyone’s shock, Busquets Ferrer reversed his original decision and allowed the 24-year-old to get away with just a yellow card. Barcelona went on to secure a 2–1 victory over Diego Simeone’s men, going seven points clear atop the La Liga standings.

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What Gil Marín Had to Say About the Controversial Decision

Gerard Martín was initially sent off in the second half against Atlético Madrid. | Alvaro Medranda/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Gil Marín did not bite his tongue when addressing the refereeing that stole the show—for all the wrong reasons—at the Metropolitano.

“When we see the images and listen to the audio shared by the Federation, all we can do is feel ashamed,” he said. “It’s unacceptable that they let us hear their comments, completely contrary to how VAR should function correctly, and nothing happens.

“Referees have the same right to make mistakes as players, coaches, and managers, but mistakes in the game are just that: mistakes. It’s another thing entirely when a referee in the VAR booth influences the main referee when he’s judging a play.

“The on-field referee must be responsible and make decisions by interpreting the intentions of each player. VAR should only intervene to correct uninterpretable errors, not to decide in place of the main referee.”

The audio in question revealed López’s recommendation for the on-field official to review and potentially overturn the red card. He then gave his own explanation for why he deemed the challenge not worthy of a sending off: “In my opinion, it’s an action where the Barcelona player is playing the ball normally, a normal part of the game, and then the contact with the Atlético player occurs naturally.”

Busquets Ferrer then indeed overturned his decision, agreeing with the VAR.

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Atlético Madrid on the Wrong End of Controversial Refeering Decisions

Marcos Llorente had a penalty shout ignored against Real Madrid. | Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press/Getty Images

It’s no wonder Gil Marín vocalized his outrage over the decision against Barcelona after the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) admitted an eerily similar challenge that occurred in Real Betis’ 1–1 draw with Rayo Vallecano should have resulted in a red card.

 “And the worst part is that the CTA itself explained a play a few weeks ago, stating that it should have been resolved by showing a red card, and then yesterday in an identical play, the referee made the correct decision and VAR led him astray, overstepping its bounds—those functions that they have explained to players, coaches, and directors, and which unfortunately are not followed,” the CEO said.

Gil Marín then implied there is bias against Atlético Madrid, recalling another incident that went against them in the Madrid derby. Simeone’s men called for a penalty after Dani Carvajal took down Marcos Llorente inside the box, but referee José Luis Munuera Montero was uninterested. Los Colchoneros went on to lose that match 3–2.

“It’s not normal that different decisions are made for identical plays, that the criteria change, and that we don’t know what to expect . It’s happened to us in the last two matchdays. It makes no sense,” he finished.

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