The Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) has acknowledged that referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias committed severe officiating errors by failing to send off Atlético Madrid players Cuti Romero and Kang-in Lee during Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat in the Madrid derby.

The admission follows scrutiny from Los Blancos, who published a formal statement describing the officiating at the Metropolitano as “catastrophic.”

According to report, the CTA reviewed the match and determined that Ortiz Arias missed two clear direct red cards in the first half that directly impacted the LALIGA fixture.

In the 35th minute, Romero caught Jude Bellingham’s knee with his studs. Ortiz Arias initially booked Bellingham, but video assistant referee Trujillo Suárez intervened.

Ortiz Arias subsequently rescinded Bellingham’s card and cautioned Romero. The CTA concluded that the challenge warranted a straight red card for serious foul play.

Nine minutes later, Kang-in Lee stepped on Federico Valverde’s left ankle from behind. The CTA ruled that the tackle carried excessive force in a dangerous area and should have resulted in a direct expulsion, noting that the VAR room failed to intervene.

While the CTA admitted faults regarding the Atlético challenges, the committee formally endorsed the decision to send off Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen in the 52nd minute.

Huijsen held back Giuliano Simeone inside the penalty area to stop a clear goalscoring opportunity. Ortiz Arias initially awarded a penalty and a yellow card before Trujillo Suárez recommended an on-field review. The referee upgraded the punishment to a red card, a sequence the CTA considers procedurally correct.

Alejandro Grimaldo converted the resulting penalty, and Jonathan David added a second in the 59th minute before Antonio Rüdiger scored a late header to conclude the 2-1 result.

Mourinho slams referee selection

The CTA’s assessment validates the post-match frustrations of Real Madrid manager José Mourinho, who brought a physical poster of the unpunished tackles to his media briefing.

Beyond criticising the specific on-field decisions, the Portuguese manager targeted the CTA’s appointment process directly.

Mourinho argued that assigning Ortiz Arias to the fixture was a failure, stating that the referee lacked the requisite experience to manage the volatility and pressure of a high-stakes Madrid derby.

In a La Liga Matchday 7 fixture, Barcelona defeated Sevilla 3-1 away from home.

Following this match, Barcelona remains firmly at the top of the La Liga standings with a perfect record of seven wins from seven games. In these matches, they have been prolific, scoring an impressive 31 goals.

In the history of La Liga, only one team has scored more goals than Barcelona after the first seven rounds: Sevilla, the same team Barcelona defeated on Saturday, who scored 40 goals in the first seven games of the 1940/41 season.

It is worth noting that in that season, Sevilla defeated Barcelona 11-1 in the opening match of the league.

Napoli Women have officially completed the signing of Nigeria international defender Chidinma Okeke from Mexican club América Femenil.

The 26-year-old centre-back joined Napoli Women on a permanent transfer on Friday, September 18, and signed a two-year contract that will keep her at the Italian club until 2028.

Okeke arrives in Italy after two seasons with América, where she helped the Mexican club win the 2025/26 CONCACAF Champions Cup. She played 27 Liga MX Femenil matches during the 2025/26 season and also featured in seven Champions Cup games.

Her move to Napoli adds another European chapter to a career that has already taken her through Nigeria, Spain, Japan and Mexico. She joined Madrid CFF in 2019 after playing for Robo Queens in Nigeria, then moved to Mynavi Sendai before signing for América in August 2024.

The Nigerian defender can play at centre-back and also operate at full-back, giving Napoli another option in defence as they prepare for the new Serie A Women season.

Okeke has also built significant experience with Nigeria. She played at the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup before featuring for the Super Falcons at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Her first competitive challenge with Napoli could come on September 26, when they open their 2026/27 Serie A Women campaign away to Juventus at Biella. The match is scheduled for 12:30pm local time in Italy, or 11:30am Nigerian time.

Napoli finished seventh in the 2025/26 Serie A Women standings, while the new season features 12 teams, with the top three earning places in the UEFA Women’s Champions League and the bottom side dropping into Serie B.

Okeke said she was pleased with her first days in Naples after meeting the coach, staff and new teammates, adding that her goal is to give her best alongside the team.