Following their 2-1 loss to Barcelona at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Saturday, Atletico Madrid has expressed significant dissatisfaction. Their primary concern revolves around the controversial decision to downgrade a red card initially shown to Gerard Martin by referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer to a yellow after a VAR review.
Martin was initially dismissed for a studs-up tackle on Thiago Almada. However, the intervention of VAR led to his sanction being reduced to a mere yellow card. This reversal sparked outrage among Atleti’s players, coaching staff, and fans, prompting the club’s leadership to pursue formal recourse.
According to Diario AS, Atleti has officially filed a complaint with the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), seeking clarification on the rationale behind overturning Martin’s red card. Sources within the club lamented the inconsistency, stating it’s “impossible to compete when some rules are explained, and others are applied,” indicating a deepening frustration with officiating over the past day.
Consecutive Matches See Atleti Fume Over Crucial Decisions
Before the recent international break, Atleti experienced a similar grievance in their 2-1 defeat to city rivals Real Madrid, where they felt Dani Carvajal should have been penalised for a challenge on Marcos Llorente in the box. The incident involving Martin has exacerbated their frustration, as it meant they played the entire second half against Barcelona with a player disadvantage, instead of the 10-on-10 scenario that would have resulted from a double dismissal.
The outcome of Atleti’s complaint remains to be seen. They have drawn parallels to a prior case involving Real Betis defender Valentin Gomez, where the CTA retrospectively determined he should have received a red card for an analogous challenge on Rayo Vallecano’s Andrei Ratiu in a recent La Liga fixture.
For the immediate future, Atleti must redirect their attention to Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Barcelona, scheduled to be held at the Spotify Camp Nou.
