VAR audio reveals how Huijsen was sent off and Romero booked in Atlético-Real Madrid derby

LaLiga and the RFEF have published official VAR audio from the disputed Atlético de Madrid–Real Madrid derby at the Metropolitano, with the recordings from the Comité Técnico de Árbitros offering the clearest account yet of how two of the match’s most contentious decisions were reached.

Romero booked after mistaken-identity review

The first intervention came in the 39th minute, after referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz had already shown a yellow card to Jude Bellingham. VAR official Daniel Jesús Trujillo called for a review not to assess whether Atlético defender Cristian ‘Cuti’ Romero deserved a red card, but to address a suspected case of mistaken identity: “Te recomiendo una revisión para que valores un potencial error… Una confusión de identidad.”

Trujillo’s replay analysis showed that Romero had stepped on the Real Madrid midfielder, while it was the Real Madrid player who had touched the ball first. Ortiz subsequently cancelled Bellingham’s yellow card and booked Romero instead. Notably, the published exchange contains no recommendation from VAR for a red card against the Atlético defender — only the correction of who should have been cautioned.

Huijsen’s yellow upgraded to red, penalty upheld

The second review followed in the 51st minute. Ortiz had already awarded a penalty and a yellow card against Dean Huijsen for holding Giuliano Simeone, but Trujillo recommended a further look under the denial-of-an-obvious-goalscoring-opportunity rule, describing a hold with no genuine attempt to play the ball.

Ortiz asked to check the position of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois before delivering his verdict. “Vale, el portero no está a distancia de llegar. Efectivamente, no hay disputa de balón. Voy a cambiar la amarilla por la roja y mantengo el penalti,” the referee concluded — upgrading Huijsen’s card to a red while keeping the penalty award in place.

Official account, not final verdict

Both incidents unfolded during Sunday’s derby at the Metropolitano. The recordings were made public in the days following the fixture, providing the officials’ own stated reasoning for each call. The release of the audio addresses the mechanics of how the two reviews were conducted, though it stops short of resolving the wider debate over other contested moments from the match.