Athletic double red card farce: Guruzeta and Lekue sent off for 'dissent' in Mallorca defeat
Athletic Club's frustrating 3-2 loss to Mallorca was compounded by controversial dismissals for Guruzeta and Lekue during a VAR penalty review.
Two Athletic Bilbao players were given their marching orders in a chaotic 60-second spell at Son Moix, as referee José Luis Guzmán took exception to comments about his decision-making during a crucial VAR review.
Double dismissal during penalty drama
The match officials found themselves at the center of controversy in the 70th minute when a VAR review awarded Mallorca a penalty for a handball by Yuri Berchiche during a tussle with Vedat Muriqi. The resulting spot-kick gave the home side a 3-2 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
During the review, striker Gorka Guruzeta received a second yellow card for what the referee described as making “technical observations in disagreement with one of my decisions” - specifically mentioning the Elche incident. Just moments later, substitute Iñigo Lekue was shown a straight red card while on the bench for “protesting in an angry and energetic manner, arms raised and loud voice.”
Unai Simón defends teammates
Spain’s number one goalkeeper Unai Simón was having none of it post-match, defending his dismissed teammates while expressing frustration with the officiating:
“The cards seem unfair because Guruzeta was just telling Yuri it was the same action as in Elche,” Simón explained, insisting his teammate wasn’t even addressing the referee directly.
Regarding Lekue’s dismissal, Simón described how the entire bench protested after Guruzeta’s sending off, with the fourth official requesting disciplinary action. According to Simón, the referee went straight for the red card “without further consideration.”
Consequences for Athletic
The double dismissal couldn’t have come at a worse time for Athletic Club:
- Both players will now face suspension for upcoming fixtures
- The team had to finish the match with 10 men while chasing an equalizer
- The 3-2 defeat damages their European qualification hopes
- The club may face additional disciplinary measures for the bench’s reaction
This London boy can’t help but think Athletic have been proper hard done by here. The referee’s performance will certainly be a talking point in Bilbao this week as the club assesses whether to appeal either dismissal.