Atletico Madrid Launches New Attack on Referees After Barcelona Match

Atletico Madrid has continued its barrage of complaints and accusations against referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer following their match against Barcelona. The controversy stems from the official's contentious decision to overturn a red card issued to Gerard Martin early in the second half, downgrading it to a yellow after a VAR review.

The "Rojiblancos" had previously voiced their displeasure on social media, drawing parallels between the incident in the Barcelona game and a similar situation in a match between Betis and Rayo Vallecano, where Betis player Valentín Gómez was sent off.

Adding to the criticism, Atletico Madrid's CEO, Miguel Ángel Gil, commented: "When we review the images and listen to the audio recordings shared by the federation, we can only feel shame. It's unacceptable that they allow us to hear their comments, which completely contradict what should be the proper functioning of VAR, and yet nothing comes of it. Referees have the same right to make mistakes as players, coaches, and executives, but errors in the game are just that – errors. It's an entirely different matter when a VAR official deliberately influences the head referee while he is making a decision."

According to the club's CEO, "the head referee on the field must take responsibility and make decisions, interpreting the intent of each action. VAR should only intervene to correct undeniable errors, not to decide on behalf of the head referee."

Finally, Miguel Ángel Gil highlighted that the Refereeing Committee (CTA) itself had previously clarified a situation identical to yesterday's, in a match between Betis and Rayo, stating that a red card should have been shown: "And the worst part is that the CTA itself, a few rounds ago, explained a situation, asserting that a red card should have been issued, yet yesterday, in an identical situation, the referee makes the correct decision, and VAR misleads him into an error, exceeding its authority – the very authority that was explained to players, coaches, and executives and which, unfortunately, is subsequently not adhered to."