Dean Huijsen criticizes Spanish Football for match ban due to a red a card. Image credit: The Touchline shared via X.
(The Post News) – Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen has taken to social media to express his frustration after the Appeals Committee confirmed his one-match suspension, despite the Referees’ Technical Committee (CTA) admitting his red card was a mistake.
Huijsen was sent off by referee Jesus Gil Manzano in Madrid’s 2-1 defeat to Real Sociedad, with VAR opting not to intervene. Madrid played more than 60 minutes with ten men, and later, the CTA’s post-match report stated that the challenge should have been punished with a yellow card instead of a straight dismissal.
In a strongly worded five-point statement on Instagram, the 19-year-old Dutch centre-back criticised the inconsistency of Spanish football’s disciplinary process. “Gil Manzano unfairly sends me off. VAR doesn’t intervene. Real Madrid play two-thirds of the match with ten men. The CTA acknowledges the error… and yet I’m still sanctioned with another match,” Huijsen said.
He ended his message with biting sarcasm, “the error is admitted, but I’m still punished–a fine image for Spanish football.”
Despite the CTA admitting to the error, the Disciplinary Committee upheld the one-match ban on Wednesday, and the decision was ratified by the Appeals Committee on Thursday.
The incident has reignited debate about refereeing standards and the use of VAR in La Liga. Fans and pundits questions how an acknowledged refereeing error can still result in punishment for the affected player.
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