Newly released VAR audio, published by Mundo Deportivo on 21 September 2026, documents how referee Miguel ÃÂngel Ortiz Arias moved from a penalty and yellow card against Dean Huijsen to a red card for denying Giuliano Simeone a clear goalscoring opportunity in the Madrid derby.
The recording covers the initial decision and the subsequent review that changed the disciplinary sanction. Ortiz Arias ultimately maintained the penalty award after reviewing the incident at the monitor.
Why the VAR review changed the sanction
The second VAR intervention of the game arrived just after the start of the second half. Ortiz Arias pointed to the spot and initially showed Huijsen a yellow card for the challenge on Giuliano Simeone.
According to the audio, VOR official Daniel Trujillo advised a pitch-side review for a potential DOGSO red card, stating that Huijsen had held his opponent without an opportunity to contest the ball. The discussion during the review focused on whether the goalkeeper could realistically have reached the ball. After being shown the offside-camera angle, Ortiz Arias concluded that the goalkeeper was not close enough to intervene and that there had been no genuine dispute for possession.
He then upgraded the yellow card to a red while keeping the penalty award intact, sending Huijsen off. Mundo Deportivo reported that Real Madrid played the remainder of the second half with ten men.
| Moment | Official Involved | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Initial call | Miguel ÃÂngel Ortiz Arias | Penalty awarded, yellow card shown to Huijsen |
| VOR intervention | Daniel Trujillo | Recommended review for potential DOGSO red card |
| Pitch-side review | Miguel ÃÂngel Ortiz Arias | Yellow upgraded to red; penalty maintained |
The wider derby officiating context
Mundo Deportivo described this as the second VAR intervention in a tense derby. The outletâÂÂs assessment was that the referee should have sent Huijsen off on the initial call and that the error was corrected after the VOR prompt. It also stated that an incident involving Kang-in Lee should have been punished differently, without providing further detail on that action.
The report therefore places the Huijsen decision among the derby incidents that remained under discussion after the match, while identifying the review as the mechanism through which the original yellow card was changed to a red.
What Happens Next
Per Mundo Deportivo, the CTAâÂÂs Technical Committee was due to analyze the derbyâÂÂs contested incidents the following Monday, with plays selected by La LigaâÂÂs AI system to be included in TuesdayâÂÂs public Time of Review. Given the source is dated 21 September 2026, that schedule should be treated as the timeline stated in the article rather than independently confirmed.
