"It was a clear penalty for me," says referee of Athletic-Real derby

Referee Hernández defends penalty decision against Real Sociedad in Athletic Bilbao's derby win, saying contact was clear and VAR confirmed the call.

Referee Alejandro José Hernández Hernández explained his controversial penalty decision in Athletic Bilbao's victory over Real Sociedad at Lezama. The penalty was awarded for contact between Real Sociedad's Jon Aramburu and Athletic's Nico Williams in the box. Hernández said he was positioned four metres from the play and saw Aramburu make contact with Williams in a way he considered punishable. "For me on the pitch, in that moment, it was a clear penalty," he told DAZN.

When asked why he did not consult VAR, Hernández explained that the video review room confirmed his decision. "They confirm the penalty, indicate we can resume with the penalty confirmed, and the VAR protocol we all know by now how it works. There has to be a clear and obvious error. It was understood from the VAR room that did not occur and therefore the penalty was confirmed." Berenguer converted the spot-kick to secure Athletic's win.