Mateu Lahoz vs. Iturralde González, 'War' Over Refereeing With Real Madrid

The Real Madrid-Atlético de Madrid ended in a draw that doesn't satisfy either of the two Spanish capital rivals. The tie signed at Santiago Bernabéu, in addition to the tactical aspects of Carlo Ancelotti and Diego Pablo Simeone, centers the debate on the referees' performance in the match.

Especially considering the play of the penalty by Tchouaméni on Samu Lino. The field referee, Soto Grado, didn't notice anything live. But he received the notification from the VAR referee, de Burgos Bengoetxea, to go to the monitor to review it.

After seeing those images, he decided to award the penalty in favor of Atlético de Madrid. As is often the case, not all the refereeing experts called by the media agree on the resolution of the play. The verdicts of two former Spanish referees are currently leading the debate around that action that resulted in Atlético de Madrid's goal in the classic.

One of the first to comment on this matter was Eduardo Iturralde González. The former referee, not very popular among Madrid fans, made it clear on Cadena SER that Soto Grado and de Burgos Bengoetxea acted correctly in managing that action. He also didn't miss the opportunity and called for the expulsion of Dani Ceballos for a clash against Pablo Barrios.

They Don't Agree

The reply to those verdicts came on Cadena COPE. Antonio Mateu Lahoz, a former Valencian referee, expressed his indignation live: "it's unbelievable that we've reached the point where refereeing is done through the photo, through the snapshot". For Mateu Lahoz, Soto Grado's decision would have been made "through something that isn't related to the nature of the game".

Those VAR images would be "changing a sport that has fascinated us for many years", the Spanish ex-referee asserts. Meanwhile, Mateu Lahoz reminds that "the referee has the final say and doesn't have to listen to the VAR". The differences between Iturralde González's and Mateu Lahoz's opinions don't shed light on the resolution of a very controversial play that could have defined the match.

It did to some extent, but Carlo Ancelotti's pupils had a good second half. The goal by Kylian Mbappé, in the second act of the Madrid classic, neutralized the red-and-white advantage and set the score at 1-1 at the end.

This confrontation between two referees with extensive careers in the national elite of our soccer heightens the controversy over what happened in recent days. The white proposal for the regeneration of the refereeing collective, very prominent in the debate after matches like the classic or the one held at the RCDE Stadium, continues to encounter much resistance.