Lee Kang-in red card controversy deepens in Madrid derby

The CTA has backed the view that Kang-in Lee should have been sent off for the challenge that left Federico Valverde with severe ankle trauma in Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid. Ortiz Arias did not punish the tackle in the match, and the ruling has pushed the derby's refereeing into the centre of the argument.

The challenge on Valverde

The key point is simple enough: the CTA believes Lee should have seen red for the incident involving Valverde. That is the call most likely to stick, because it goes straight to a challenge that left Valverde with severe trauma to his left ankle.

Real Madrid later said Valverde had severe trauma to that ankle and that further tests were pending. Real Madrid have not been given a return date, but the absence concern is real enough already, and the injury has landed on a player who had made 6 La Liga appearances and played 428 league minutes this season.

The other VAR flashpoints

The released audio covered two separate reviews. One centred on Cristian Romero, with the VAR official saying, “Miguel, I’d recommend a review so you can assess a potential case of mistaken identity,” and later adding, “I can see that it’s the Atletico Madrid player who steps on the Real Madrid player. And it’s the Real Madrid player who touches the ball.”

The other review ended with the referee changing Jude Bellingham's yellow card to a red and upholding the penalty after the challenge on Giuliano Simeone. Those explanations helped with two incidents, but not the Lee tackle that has drawn the fiercest reaction.

José Mourinho, speaking to goal.com, said: “The referee had no experience to officiate a derby. He's 41 years old. He's a poor referee who's only ever done minor matches.” He also told sportsmole.co.uk: “They're two clear red cards. With the difficulties we had afterwards - with 11 versus 10 [players] - you could imagine what it would have been like [for us] for 50 minutes with 11 versus nine.”

The debate now is whether Lee's missed dismissal was the single most damaging error or one of three major controversies. On the evidence made public so far, the Lee challenge is the one that links the refereeing debate directly to the injury and remains the hardest to defend.

Valverde will undergo further tests in the coming hours, and Real Madrid are due to host Villarreal at Bernabeu on October 10.