Spain's Technical and Refereeing Committee (CTA) has released its latest referee review, confirming that the straight red card shown to Heysen during the Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad match was a wrong decision.
Based on the video footage released by the Spanish Football Federation, the CTA provided the following interpretation of the call:
"The key lies in the interpretation of the presence and distance of the second defender (Éder Militão). The referee showed a straight red card because he determined that Heysen had denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity (DOGSO). Depending on the situation of Real Madrid's second defender, there could be two possible outcomes of the play, and this defender's position is crucial.
“If we consider that he (Militão) could have contested for the ball, then the appropriate punishment should be a yellow card, as a recognition of a dangerous attack. If, as the referee (Mansano) explained, the distance made such a challenge impossible, then it would clearly be a goalscoring opportunity, and the player should be sent off. Both scenarios allow for different interpretations. Therefore, this Committee believes that the necessary conditions for DOGSO (Denying an Obvious Goalscoring Opportunity) have not been fully met, and the most appropriate punishment should be a yellow card.”
Regarding the controversy over VAR's failure to intervene, the CTA explained: "As for VAR, it is important to remember that they only intervene when there are clear and obvious errors. This incident falls into what we call a 'grey area'—a domain that allows for multiple interpretations. Therefore, the right to make the decision should be left to the on-field referee, and VAR's choice not to intervene was correct."
