Sanction on Huijsen affirmed by appeal court decision
In a recent development, the Royal Spanish Football Federation's Appeals Committee has ruled against Real Madrid's appeal against defender Dean Huijsen's red card in last Saturday's La Liga match against Real Sociedad.
The incident occurred during the Anoeta clash, where Huijsen was shown a red card. However, the club's alleged factual reality regarding the incident is not proven, and the Appeals Committee could not establish a 'clear and obvious error' in the referee's report.
The referee, Gil Manzano, deemed that Huijsen was blocking a 'clear goal-scoring opportunity', a decision that the Committee found to be reasonable and plausible. The images presented by Real Madrid were consistent with what was stated in the report, according to the Appeals Committee.
Real Madrid had hoped that the assessment made by the Referees' Technical Committee would be taken into account, acknowledging that 'the most appropriate sanction would have been a yellow card.' However, the Committee found no violation of specificity, proportionality, or legal certainty by Real Madrid CF.
Despite the club's efforts, including presenting arguments and a video of the incident in question, the Appeals Committee dismissed Real Madrid's appeal. As a result, Huijsen will serve a one-match suspension in the match against Espanyol this Saturday in the fifth round of LaLiga EA Sports.
The Committee reiterates that the referee is the sole and final authority in technical matters to direct matches. This decision upholds the principle that the on-field decision of the referee stands, unless there is a clear and obvious error.
The ruling leaves Real Madrid without one of their key defenders for the upcoming match against Espanyol. The club will now have to adjust their strategy to cope with Huijsen's absence and aim for a victory in the absence of their key player.
