“We are worried”. For the faults, for the injuries, for the hands, for the VAR… Tomás Reñones acted as spokesman for Atlético before Movistar’s microphone to express the club’s concern not only about specific situations in the game against Betis, but also about the situations that accumulate during the season, with disparate criteria in arbitrations (and video arbitration) and, above all, with Atletico footballers who are injured “and do not whistle or foul”, as expressed by the former captain. The club fully respects the referees, but there are things they don’t understand.
The 1-3 calms in part the upset of the rojiblanco club, but the three points cost dearly. Vrsaljko and Correa left injured. The Croatian was a bad fall, but the Argentine was not. In a split ball, the 10 touched the ball first and he took a strong kick to the foot. Cuadra Fernández did not whistle or foul. Not only that, but minutes later, when Correa asked for the change, the referee scolded him and pressured him to get him out of the field faster. “Can not”, snapped the rojiblanco as he limped away. The yellow went to Simeone.
At Atlético they lament a list of cases in which a footballer of his own left the field limping and the causer was not even reprimanded. Griezmann left the Bernabéu injured after an entry by Carvajal and Wass, del Camp Nou by a blow from Ferran. There were no yellow cards, the Frenchman was out for almost two months and the Dane has not yet returned. A Cunha, against the Levante, a rival defender bent his knee. In the club they understand that many are situations typical of football, but also that there are actions that have to be sanctioned, like these and Correa’s, he doubts for the Champions League.
The disparate criterion of the hands
In these and others, the VAR also focuses much of the anger. “The referee may not see it, we understand, but the VAR is inhibited. We are concerned…”, Tomás analyzed before Mónica Marchante. Specifically, he was referring to Sabaly’s hand, a typical basketball pat that does not admit interpretation. Moreover, Cuadra Fernández did not interpret the hand because he did not see it: he whistled for a goal kick. Atlético is unsettled that on other occasions technology has intervened against them. In fact, Simeone’s team has been punished with five penalties per hand. The club finds no explanation and, with the League in a fist and the objectives so rushed, expresses its feelings: “We are worried.”