CTA admits Atletico midfielder Kang-In Lee should have been sent off against Real Madrid

CTA admits Atletico midfielder Kang-In Lee should have been sent off against Real Madrid The fallout from Atletico Madrid’s dramatic derby victory over Real Madrid has taken another turn, with the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) acknowledging that one of the match’s biggest incidents should have resulted in a red card. According to AS , the CTA believes Atletico midfielder Kang-In Lee should have been sent off for his challenge on Federico Valverde.  The committee has also reviewed the other controversial incidents involving Cristian Romero and Dean Huijsen, although its assessment of those situations is different. The refereeing decisions have dominated the aftermath of the derby, with Ortiz Arias coming under scrutiny after several major calls either went against him or required VAR intervention. CTA admits Kang-In Lee should have seen red The clearest admission concerns the challenge on Valverde, which left him injured . Kang-In Lee’s tackle was not punished by Ortiz Arias during the match, and the incident was not sent to the referee for a VAR review either. The CTA now considers the challenge serious enough to warrant a straight red card. CTA has admitted to a major referee error from the Madrid derby. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images) Meanwhile, the committee has accepted that Huijsen’s foul on Giuliano Simeone warranted a red card. The Real Madrid defender conceded the penalty after grabbing his opponent while not attempting to play the ball. Ortiz Arias awarded the spot-kick but did not initially dismiss Huijsen. VAR subsequently intervened, and the red card was eventually shown. CTA takes different view on Cristian Romero incident The situation involving Cristian Romero is more complicated. Notably, Ortiz Arias initially appeared to identify the wrong player during the incident involving Jude Bellingham.  He awarded a foul against the Real Madrid midfielder and showed him a yellow card before VAR intervention established that Romero had actually committed the foul. Mourinho was not happy with the referee’s decisions. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images) The incident was then reviewed as a potential red-card offence. However, Ortiz Arias ultimately decided against dismissing the Atletico player. As per the outlet, the CTA has accepted the decision rather than placing the full blame on the referee, describing the incident as confusing. Derby controversy continues after CTA admission The assessment leaves Ortiz Arias facing difficult scrutiny after being selected for one of La Liga’s biggest fixtures. He had been given the Madrid derby after a strong run of performances, but the match produced three major incidents that required close examination.  Two eventually involved VAR, while the challenge on Valverde passed without intervention, something that Real Madrid did not leave out in their post-match comments .