'Lee Kang-in Ankle Tackle → Valverde OUT' Even Spain's Referee Committee Says "Red Card Was Correct... Serious Injury Risk Was High"

*This content was translated by AI.

'Endless controversy over refereeing decisions has even prompted an official body to step in. The Spanish Referee Committee issued a formal statement declaring that Lee Kang-in's (25, Atlético Madrid) tackle during the Madrid Derby was clearly a sending-off offense and that both the referee and video assistant referee (VAR) made clear errors.

'Sports outlet ESPN reported on the 23rd (Korean time) that "the Spanish Royal Football Federation's Technical Referee Committee (CTA) officially announced that Lee Kang-in should have received a direct red card during last weekend's Madrid Derby," adding that it "made a decision supporting Real Madrid's claims."

'The CTA analyzed the foul committed by Lee Kang-in against Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) in its weekly routine report on controversial decisions. The committee concluded, "It was an extremely dangerous challenge with a very high risk of causing serious injury to Valverde," and stated, "Referee Miguel Ortiz Arias clearly and certainly erred by not showing Lee Kang-in a red card. VAR should have intervened to correct this." In fact, Valverde, who suffered the rough tackle from Lee Kang-in, was diagnosed with a third-degree ankle sprain and sustained a serious injury that excluded him from Uruguay's national team friendly match roster.

'On the other hand, regarding the knee tackle by Jude Bellingham against Cristian Romero, which Real Madrid also raised as an issue, the CTA stated, "The decision to have VAR intervene and recommend a yellow card was correct," justifying the no-red-card ruling.

'Additionally, the committee firmly ruled that the direct red card and penalty kick awarded in the early second half when Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen deliberately grabbed Julián Simeone's arm was "a justified decision for intentionally grabbing an opponent who could not play the ball."

'With this official admission of a refereeing error by the committee, José Mourinho's fierce protest has gained legitimacy. In the 7th round match of the 2026-2027 Spanish La Liga held on the 20th, Atlético Madrid defeated Real Madrid 2-1, capitalizing on Alejandro Grimaldo's penalty kick goal that followed Dean Huijsen's red card and Jonathan David's additional goal triggered by Lee Kang-in's penetrating pass.

'However, immediately after the match, Mourinho brought a printed photo of the non-red-card incident into the press conference room and lambasted the refereeing team for four minutes. Mourinho said, "It was the Referee Committee's fault to assign an inexperienced 41-year-old referee and a VAR official with deep ties to Real Madrid," and vented his frustration, stating, "Lee Kang-in clearly should have been sent off." Real Madrid TV, the club's official broadcast channel, also remarked, "Atlético players were forced to play with only nine men after two were sent off. It was disgusting," even mentioning the possibility of withdrawing from La Liga.

'At that time, Atlético Madrid responded emotionally on SNS alongside Mourinho's photo, posting a message saying, "Stop harassing referees immediately," and adding, "They have crossed a line they should not have crossed. They are pressuring referees to evade responsibility for their defeat." However, with the Referee Committee officially admitting an error in not sending off Lee Kang-in, Atlético Madrid found itself in an awkward position.

'Meanwhile, Antonio Mateu Lahoz, a former prominent Spanish star referee, also appeared on television and stated, "Just looking at the photo makes it clearly a red-card offense," adding, "It is possible that both the referee and VAR failed to properly recognize the danger because Valverde's innocent attitude of getting up immediately without showing pain after falling may have misled them."

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*This content was translated by AI.