CTA reviews Cancelo yellow but overlooks Cucurella and Tchouameni incidents

Spain's refereeing body reviews controversial moments from El Clásico, defending the referee's handling of Cancelo's challenge but drawing criticism for overlooking Cucurella fouls and Tchouameni's injury-causing tackle.

Spain's refereeing authority (CTA) released its weekly "Review Time" video on Tuesday examining key moments from Sunday's El Clásico at Camp Nou. The body reviewed two incidents: a potential handball by Balde in contact with Mbappé in the 57th minute, which the CTA deemed correctly handled by referee Juan Martínez Munuera as the arm was in a natural position; and Cancelo's challenge on Diomande in the 70th minute, which Real Madrid claimed warranted a red card.

The CTA acknowledged that Cancelo's tackle was reckless and should have resulted in a yellow card, but stressed there was no excessive force or brutality to justify a red. However, the body faced criticism for omitting analysis of Cucurella's repeated fouls that went unpunished and Tchouameni's tackle that injured Barcelona's Xavi Espart. CTA president Fran Soto expressed satisfaction with Munuera's overall performance, calling it "good refereeing" and noting the intense pre-match pressure surrounding the fixture.