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Ten referees punished after controversial calls go against Madrid

After huge errors in Madrid’s defeat to Espanyol, the president of the referee committee in Spain called an urgent meeting.

Contraataque del Rea Madrid, Kylian Mbappé avanza con el balón controlado y Carlos Romero entra a destiempo con los tacos por delante en el gemelo del jugador francés. El VAR no avisa a Muñiz Ruiz, que sí muestra la cartulina amarilla al defensa perico.
JAVIER GANDULDIARIO AS

Early on Monday morning, all referees from the First and Second Divisions held an emergency meeting with the leadership of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA).

The president, Luis Medina Cantalejo, delivered a stern speech expressing his anger over the mistakes made over the weekend. He also announced disciplinary actions against nearly a dozen referees from both divisions, including Muñiz Ruiz and Iglesias Villanueva, the main referee and VAR respectively in the Espanyol-Real Madrid match.

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The fallout from what was a very turbulent day is beginning. Medina Cantalejo has called all La Liga referees to account. He emphasized that what is considered the best competition in the world cannot afford refereeing mistakes as serious as those witnessed this past weekend, particularly with the assistance of VAR.

Espanyol-Madrid referee suspended along with VAR official

The reprimand was so severe that it led to the announcement of a suspension until further notice for a dozen referees from both the First and Second Divisions. The message is clear: serious errors come with consequences.

Among those suspended are Muñiz Ruiz and Iglesias Villanueva, the referee and VAR in the controversial Espanyol-Real Madrid match. This match became the focal point of the day’s controversy, particularly due to a tackle on Mbappé that was not penalized.

Mbappé, tendido sobre el césped, tras ser derribado por Carlos Romero en el Espanyol-Real Madrid de la jornada 22 de LaLiga EA Sports.
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Carlos Romero went in hard on Mbappé in Madrid's 1-0 loss.Alex CaparrosGetty Images

As Iturralde González put it, the foul was “red, very red, more than red” — an excessive tackle that could have seriously injured Mbappé. Despite the severity of the play, the referee issued only a warning. What shocked the football world, however, was that VAR did not intervene to correct the oversight.

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