Arda Güler escaped a potential red card dismissal following an unpunished off-the-ball incident during Real Madrid’s 4-1 victory over Sevilla, just eight minutes before opening the scoring at the Santiago Bernabéu.
In the 22nd minute of Sunday’s La Liga fixture, with the scoreline deadlocked at 0-0, the 21-year-old Turkish international appeared to swing an arm backward into Sevilla midfielder Peque away from the central line of play. While Sevilla players surrounded referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer demanding a sending-off for violent conduct, the incident passed without an on-field review.
Technical Breakdown: Why VAR Did Not Intervene
The failure to check the incident stemmed directly from broadcast angle constraints rather than a definitive clearing of the action:
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Blindspot Coverage: Because the collision occurred away from primary play, live camera feeds were locked onto the central ball progression, leaving VAR officials without direct high-definition framing.
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Inconclusive Force Parameters: Former Spanish referee Eduardo Iturralde González noted that while a deliberate blow to the face constitutes a red card offense, contact with the chest without excessive force warrants only a booking. The secondary footage failed to conclusively determine either exact point of contact or force.
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Threshold Rules: Under RFEF refereeing guidelines, VAR cannot recommend an on-field review unless clear and obvious visual evidence exists, permitting Güler to continue unbooked.
Match Impact & El Clásico Availability
Güler capitalized on the reprieve eight minutes later, meeting Yan Diomande’s pass with a first-time 16-meter curling finish into the top far corner to ignite Madrid’s 4-1 win.
Had VAR possessed direct coverage, a red card would have triggered a minimum three-match domestic suspension, ruling the Turkish playmaker out of next Sunday’s El Clásico against Barcelona at Camp Nou. Instead, Güler remains available to anchor Madrid’s midfield channels during a vital week of European and domestic fixtures.
