Overview
- On Monday, September 21, 2026, the Technical Referees’ Committee published the VAR audio for the Atletico Madrid versus Real Madrid derby that clarifies two incidents that were sent to video review.
- The first recording shows the VAR flagged a case of mistaken identity after Cristian Romero stepped on Jude Bellingham and the referee rescinded Bellingham’s yellow and booked Romero instead.
- The second recording reveals VAR recommended a review of Dean Huijsen’s foul, after which the referee upgraded Huijsen’s yellow to a red and upheld the penalty, leaving Real Madrid with ten men.
- No VAR conversation was released about Kang-in Lee’s challenge on Federico Valverde, the CTA has acknowledged the referee erred on that incident, and the missing audio leaves that contentious moment publicly unresolved.
- Watchdog Archivo VAR has reported multiple serious mistakes and suggested at least a two-match ban for referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias while a former referee’s analysis argues the Kang-in tackle merited only a yellow, so official disciplinary decisions are still pending and will determine immediate consequences for Ortiz Arias.