Referee Ortiz Arias issued a direct red card to Getafe defender Abdel Abqar after a video review found Abqar had touched Atlético Madrid forward Alexander Sørloth’s genitals during a stoppage in play.
The incident involved a pinch to Sørloth’s genital area before the Atlético forward’s response sent Abqar to the turf, with the referee producing the yellow card for Sørloth after restoring order. The VAR intervention proved decisive in changing the on-field sanction from no call to a sending off.
The confrontation came in the 28th week of La Liga during a tightly contested match that Atlético won 1-0. Nahuel Molina scored the decisive goal with an outside-of-the-foot shot from the edge of the box that surprised goalkeeper David Soria. Reduced to 10 men, Getafe, who had lined up with a five-man defense, adapted their formation after the dismissal. In a late surge, Getafe forced a final chance, but substitute goalkeeper Juan Musso made a crucial save in the 96th minute on a header from Liso, securing the three points that marked Atlético’s third consecutive victory.
The ball was not in play when the initial contact occurred. The altercation escalated as Sørloth pushed Abqar to the ground in retaliation, for which he was cautioned. The pair had previous run-ins earlier in the match.
Clips of the clash spread rapidly across social media, prompting speculation that the Royal Spanish Football Federation may open disciplinary proceedings against Abqar, which could result in a severe penalty beyond the automatic suspension. Post-match reflections reported by Spanish media emphasized that the sequence occurred out of play and underlined the role of VAR in determining the eventual sanctions after the on-field officials initially missed the contact.
