Referee defends derby penalty: "I see a clear foul up close and VAR confirms my decision"

Referee Alejandro Hernández defended his penalty decision for Athletic, saying he saw a clear foul by Aramburu on Nico Williams and VAR confirmed the call.

Referee Alejandro Hernández Hernández gave a post-match interview on DAZN following the Basque derby, defending the match's pivotal decision: a penalty awarded to Athletic for a foul by Real Sociedad's Aramburu on Nico Williams.

Hernández explained his positioning and reasoning: "It's a through-ball action, I'm well-placed, the play catches me at 4 metres. I see Williams dribbling and the Real Sociedad player impacts him in a way I consider punishable. That's why I immediately whistled for a penalty—it was clear to me on the pitch." He confirmed that VAR reviewed the incident and upheld his decision, noting that the protocol requires a clear and obvious error to overturn the on-field call, which was not present in this case.

The referee acknowledged Real Sociedad's frustration while standing by the decision, and said he would review the match carefully during the week to assess what went well and what could improve. He also praised both teams for playing with intensity and discipline, noting the derby's emotional nature without excessive foul play.