The refereeing committee in Spain (CTA) has determined that Barcelona defender Gerard Martín should have received a red card in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Atlético Madrid in LaLiga.
In the 48th minute, Martín’s studs made contact with Thiago Almada‘s ankle after he cleared the ball, resulting in an initial red card being shown to him.
However, after being prompted by the VAR to review the incident, referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer reversed the call, changing the red card to a yellow.
This decision was made at a crucial point in the match, right after Nicolás González had also been sent off for Atlético, leaving the game finely balanced at 1-1.
Even with a man down throughout the entire second half, Atlético nearly secured a draw, but Robert Lewandowski scored the deciding goal in the 87th minute, allowing Barça to inch seven points ahead in LaLiga.
Now the CTA has confirmed that the initial decision to dismiss Martín should have remained unchanged, indicating that both teams should have concluded the match with 10 players.
Even though Martín touched the ball before Almada, the CTA clarified in its weekly review segment “Tiempo de Revisión” that he was not in full control of the play.
“It constitutes serious foul play, regardless of who contacts the ball first,” stated the CTA. “The appropriate disciplinary action should have been a red card.”
They added that VAR intervention was unnecessary, emphasizing that the on-field referee had properly assessed the situation in real time. The recommendation to review led to a mistaken reversal of the correct decision.
In support of their reasoning, the CTA referenced another contentious moment from the weekend, where Valencia‘s Unai Núñez struck Celta Vigo‘s Hugo Álvarez with his follow-through.
In this instance, however, the CTA indicated that Núñez was in control of the ball, and that Álvarez had to take measures to protect himself.
Earlier this year, Barcelona experienced a similar situation when they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Girona. The CTA later announced that the winning goal should have been disallowed due to a foul on Jules Koundé.
Both Barça and Atlético are now preparing for the Champions League, with the first leg of their quarterfinal matchup scheduled for Wednesday at Spotify Camp Nou. The return leg will be played next Tuesday in Madrid, marking the third encounter between the two teams in just 11 days.