What experts say about Muñiz Ruiz, VAR, and the tackle on Mbappé

The match between Real Madrid and Espanyol saw one of the most criminal tackles in recent years. In a counterattack by the Merengue team, Mbappé received a harsh blow from Carlos Romero. The Espanyol defender, instead of trying to stop the ball, went directly for the Frenchman to stop him.

This action raised several criticisms toward the player but, above all, for the referee Muñiz Ruiz. This is because, in an obvious red card play, the referee only showed a yellow card to Romero. An event that several refereeing experts have considered: "It's the worst mistake in years," harshly criticizing Muñiz Ruiz.

This clearly shows that the tackle on Mbappé should have been sanctioned with a red card. Targeting the player and not the ball, it's evident that Carlos Romero only sought to injure the French striker.

Even the experts have confirmed it

Committing fouls to stop some plays is quite normal in this sport. At the moment when your opponent can end up gaining an advantage, ways are sought to stop them. However, there are various ways to stop your opponent, with Carlos Romero's being clearly one of the least appropriate.

Having been able to injure Mbappé, Romero was very fortunate not to have caused a greater catastrophe for the Frenchman and for Real Madrid. However, this doesn't absolve him of the guilt of his actions, nor the referee or the VAR, which didn't even check the play.

In case there was any doubt about whether the play was for a red or yellow card, the experts have shown that it was clearly for a red card. Their words not only portray the dirtiness of the play but also the questionable nature of refereeing that continues to be a topic of discussion.

A situation that must change

With several matchdays still ahead, LaLiga has time to change the issue with refereeing. If the aim is truly to make the competition much more attractive to the public, good refereeing is certainly necessary to achieve it.