The controversy that overshadowed Real Madrid’s 4-1 LaLiga victory over Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabéu was not the scoreline, but a VAR decision that spared Arda Güler from a red card after his elbow struck Sevilla’s Peque Fernández in the 24th minute. The incident—where Güler’s aggressive challenge left Fernández collapsing to the ground—triggered an immediate backlash from Sevilla’s players and manager, who accused the referee of favoring Madrid in a fixture already stacked against the Andalusian side.
The sequence began with Fernández tugging Güler’s jersey during a Madrid counterattack, a provocation that escalated when the Turkish defender swung his elbow with enough force to send the Sevilla forward sprawling. VAR intervened, reviewing the challenge under the rules for dangerous play, but ultimately ruled against a red card. Instead, the referee booked Real Madrid’s Dean Huijsen and Sevilla’s Félix Correia for unsportsmanlike conduct during the stoppage, a decision that only deepened the frustration among Sevilla’s squad. ‘Eleven against eleven, they deserved to win, but they’ve robbed us of the chance to play a different match,’ Sevilla manager Luis García Plaza told reporters afterward. ‘From the 25th minute, we should have been 11 against 10. It’s incredible.’
What made the call even more contentious was the timing: Güler scored Madrid’s opening goal just five minutes after the incident, a moment that amplified perceptions of a refereeing bias in favor of the home side. Sevilla’s players, visibly agitated, later discussed the challenge at halftime, with Fernández himself confirming to Plaza that Güler had made deliberate contact. The absence of punishment for Güler—despite the clear visual evidence—has reignited broader conversations about VAR’s consistency in LaLiga, particularly in matches where Madrid’s dominance could overshadow marginal decisions.
The incident also serves as a stark reminder of how refereeing controversies can overshadow even decisive results. While Madrid’s 4-1 victory secured them three points in the ninth round, the focus shifted to the fairness of the match rather than the tactical execution. Sevilla’s players, already frustrated by Madrid’s clinical efficiency, now face the additional burden of questioning whether the referee’s interpretation aligned with the spirit of the game. For Plaza, the issue is not just about one decision, but about the cumulative effect of perceived favoritism in high-pressure fixtures. ‘I saw it,’ he said. ‘Peque was saying he hit him. It’s a red card.’ The words carry weight in a league where trust in officiating is as fragile as the players on the pitch.
