The Spanish refereeing committee (CTA) has determined that Barcelona defender Gerard Martín should have received a red card during Saturday’s 2-1 victory in LaLiga against Atlético Madrid.
In the 48th minute, Martín made contact with Thiago Almada using his studs after clearing the ball, striking just above the Atlético midfielder’s ankle, and was initially shown a red card.
However, following a VAR review prompted by the referee, Mateo Busquets Ferrer, the red card was rescinded and Martín was instead issued a yellow card.
This decision occurred at a critical moment in the match after Nicolás González had been dismissed for Atlético, leaving the game tightly contested at 1-1.
Despite having a man disadvantage for the entire second half, Atlético nearly managed to secure a draw until Robert Lewandowski scored the decisive goal in the 87th minute, allowing Barça to pull seven points clear at the top of LaLiga.
The CTA has now confirmed that the initial red card should have remained in effect, meaning both teams would have ended up with 10 players.
While Martín did make contact with the ball before Almada, the CTA clarified during its weekly review segment, “Tiempo de Revisión,” that he was not in proper control of the ball.
“This constitutes serious foul play, regardless of who touches the ball first,” stated the CTA. “The appropriate disciplinary measure should have been a red card.”
“The CTA believes the VAR should not have intervened here, as the referee had made the correct decision during the game. The recommendation for a review led to an incorrect alteration of a well-assessed call in real-time. The referee should have upheld his initial judgment.”
To further illustrate their standpoint, the CTA pointed to another contentious incident from the weekend: when Valencia‘s Unai Núñez followed through and caught Celta Vigo‘s Hugo Álvarez.
The CTA noted that, in that incident, Núñez had already touched the ball and that Álvarez needed to take action to protect himself.
Earlier this year, Barcelona found themselves on the receiving end of a controversial decision when they lost 2-1 to Girona, with the CTA later stating that the winning goal should have been disallowed due to a foul on Jules Koundé.
Both Barça and Atlético now shift their focus to the Champions League, where they’ll face off at Spotify Camp Nou on Wednesday for the first leg of their quarterfinal matchup.
The two sides will meet again in Madrid next Tuesday for the second leg, marking the third clash between the teams in just 11 days.