Real Madrid's defeat to Espanyol has sparked significant controversy due to a refereeing decision that has drawn widespread criticism. The incident in question involved a "reckless" challenge by Espanyol's Carlos Romero on Kylian Mbappé. Despite the clear aggression of the tackle, referee Muñiz Ruiz, with no intervention from VAR, opted to show Romero only a yellow card instead of a red.

VAR, overseen by Iglesias Villanueva, did not intervene to advise the referee to review the challenge on the monitor. This decision left many, including Real Madrid supporters, frustrated as the severity of the tackle seemed to warrant more than just a yellow. Mbappé's visible pain and the dangerous nature of the challenge further fueled the outrage.

In his match report, Muñiz Ruiz justified the yellow card by describing Romero's actions as "recklessly bringing down an opponent while fighting for the ball." This explanation has been met with confusion, as the term "reckless" usually indicates an action that endangers a player's safety, warranting stricter punishment. However, the phrase "fighting for the ball" implies that Romero had no malicious intent, which ultimately led to the yellow card decision.

Despite this reasoning, video footage shows that Romero had no realistic chance of reaching the ball, further questioning the legitimacy of the decision.

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