In the 30th La Liga round, Barcelona secured a 2-1 comeback victory over Atlético Madrid away from home, but the match drew significant attention due to controversial refereeing by Busquets Ferrer.
The dedicated refereeing watchdog Archivo VAR rated Ferrer’s performance 2 out of 10, citing a series of mistakes that required VAR intervention to rectify. He issued eight yellow cards yet missed clear fouls, appearing unsettled and lacking the expected officiating standard.
A key controversy involved Nicolás González, who was already on a yellow card and should have received a straight red for denying a clear goal-scoring chance to Yamal—Ferrer incorrectly gave a second yellow. Another significant incident was Gerard Martín’s red card in the second half, which the refereeing technical committee downgraded to a yellow after VAR review; Martín reached the ball first and the contact with Atlético’s Thiago Almada was judged as insufficient for a sending-off.
Atlético manager Diego Simeone criticized the referee’s decision, describing it as wrong and pivotal to the match outcome. Defender Robin Le Normand also expressed frustration, suggesting he would have been sent off for a similar foul and criticized Ferrer for escalating tensions by frequently showing yellow cards whenever players approached him.
Despite the loss, Simeone praised his team’s strong first-half performance and emphasized readiness for the upcoming Champions League quarterfinal against Barcelona, where Atlético aims to display their competitive level.
These officiating errors notably influenced the match’s flow and emotions on the pitch, underscoring the importance of accurate refereeing in high-stakes games for clubs and their supporters.
