Referee committee admits Cancelo should have seen yellow for collision with Diomande in Clasico

The Clasico is already in the books on the scoreboard, but it's still generating plenty of talk in the offices. Spain's Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) went over the most debated plays from the latest round on Monday, and among them, the spotlight fell on a moment that went almost unnoticed amid the heat of the match at Camp Nou: the collision between Joao Cancelo and Yan Diomande during Barcelona's 1-2 loss to Real Madrid.

The incident happened in the 57th minute, just before Barcelona scored their temporary equalizer (1-1). Referee Juan Martinez let play continue without showing a card, but the CTA, in its regular refereeing review segment, disagreed with that call. According to the committee, Cancelo "partially makes contact with the Madrid player's leg" during an attack by Diomande. The CTA was clear in noting there was no "excessive force or brutality," though it did describe the challenge as "reckless," adding that in its view "the referee should have shown a yellow card."

That wasn't the only Clasico play put under review. The committee also looked at a handball by Alejandro Balde in a duel with Kylian Mbappe, after which Real Madrid unsuccessfully appealed for a penalty. On that one, the CTA sided with the referee: "The ball hits the defender's arm accidentally; the arm is in a natural position given the dynamics of the play. Non-punishable handball, correct call by the referee."

More plays under scrutiny

The CTA's review didn't stop at the headline fixture of the round. In Valencia's 2-1 win over Villarreal, the committee examined Renato Veiga's challenge on Dani Raba, which resulted in a penalty and a yellow card after referee Alejandro Quintero's review, leading to Valencia's 1-0 goal in the 35th minute. Here the verdict differed from the Clasico case: the CTA felt the VAR should not have intervened. "The defender steps on the forward. Cause and effect with a high degree of interpretation involved. The referee's decision should stand, VAR should not have stepped in," the committee stated.

The fourth case reviewed came from Racing's 2-1 win over Espanyol, where the technology's involvement was approved. Referee Jesus Gil had initially awarded a penalty for a handball by Racing's Pablo Ramon, but it was overturned after VAR review detected an earlier foul by Espanyol's Roberto Fernandez in the 39th minute. In this instance, the CTA found the review to be correct.

Four plays, four different rulings, and one same conclusion: the line between a correct and an incorrect refereeing decision remains, week after week, one of the hottest topics among fans.