VAR Audio Reveals Why Cuti Romero Wasn’t Reviewed for a Red Card After Bellingham Clash
Newly released VAR audio sheds light on one of the biggest controversies from the Madrid derby — and reveals exactly what Trujillo Suárez told Ortiz Arias about the Cuti Romero incident.
The Spanish Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) has released the VAR audio from the controversial Atlético Madrid vs Real Madrid derby, providing new details about the incident involving Cuti Romero and Jude Bellingham.
The clash became one of the most debated moments of the match after Romero appeared to plant his studs into Bellingham’s knee during a challenge for the ball.
Ortiz Arias initially penalised Bellingham and showed the Real Madrid midfielder a yellow card. However, VAR official Trujillo Suárez intervened after determining that the referee had identified the wrong player as the offender.
The newly released audio makes clear that the VAR intervention was not to review a potential red card for Romero.
Instead, Trujillo Suárez instructed Ortiz Arias to check for a possible case of mistaken identity.
“Miguel, I recommend a review so you can assess a potential mistaken identity error,” Trujillo Suárez told the referee.
He then explained what he had seen on the replay.
“I see that it is the Atlético player who steps on the Real Madrid player, and the Madrid player is the one who touches the ball.”
When Ortiz Arias reached the pitchside monitor, the referee reviewed the footage and subsequently corrected his original decision.
“OK, I’m going to cancel the yellow card for the Real Madrid player and give a yellow card to the Atlético player,” Ortiz Arias said.
The decision meant Bellingham’s yellow card was overturned and Romero was booked instead.
Why the red-card question was never reviewed
The audio provides an important detail about the controversy.
Although Real Madrid argued that Romero’s challenge should have resulted in a red card, that was not the issue VAR asked Ortiz Arias to reassess.
The intervention was limited to correcting the identity of the player who had committed the foul. Once that mistake was corrected, the referee issued Romero a yellow card.
The published conversation therefore does not contain a VAR recommendation for Ortiz Arias to assess whether Romero’s challenge constituted serious foul play worthy of a straight red.
Real Madrid subsequently criticised the refereeing decisions from the derby, with the club arguing that Romero should have been sent off. The club’s official match report also highlighted the challenge on Bellingham among the key refereeing controversies.
Another VAR intervention led to Huijsen’s red card
The CTA also released audio from another major incident involving Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen.
Ortiz Arias initially awarded Atlético a penalty and showed Huijsen a yellow card after a challenge on Giuliano Simeone.
This time, however, Trujillo Suárez specifically recommended a review for a potential red card.
After examining the footage, Ortiz Arias concluded that Courtois was not close enough to challenge for the ball and that there was no genuine opportunity to dispute possession.
He subsequently changed the yellow card to a red while maintaining the penalty.
The two audio recordings offer a clearer picture of how the VAR team handled the major incidents during a derby that ended with Atlético Madrid beating Real Madrid 2–1.
