Atlético Madrid draws a clear line between Barcelona’s official complaint and its own formal request for clarification to the Referees’ Technical Committee after Gerard Martín’s red card was overturned. The club points to post-derby tweets as proof of the Blaugrana’s “media machine”.
At the time, Atlético argued that the decision contradicted the explanation given for a similar incident in the Betis vs. Rayo Vallecano match, suggesting that VAR had incorrectly overruled referee Busquets Ferrer’s original call. The Rojiblancos point out that they accepted those explanations, even though they felt aggrieved by the original decision.
Insiders at Atlético still ask, with a hint of sarcasm, how Barça or Real would have reacted to a similar scenario—pointing specifically to the Julián Álvarez penalty (a spot-kick that UEFA later stated should have been retaken rather than counted as missed) during the shoot-out that saw them knocked out of last season’s Champions League by Los Blancos.