Getafe player denies he meant to grab opponent's genitals as he protests bizarre red card against Atletico Madrid

The clash between Atletico and Getafe was ignited by a strange sequence of events involving Abqar and Sorloth. During a break in play, the two players were seen in a physical tussle that resulted in the Getafe defender falling to the turf. However, after a VAR intervention, the cameras revealed that Abqar had pinched or grabbed the Norwegian forward in the groin area, leading to a direct red card for the defender while Sorloth escaped with only a booking.

Match referee Ortiz Arias was clinical in his assessment of the incident within the official match report. He noted that the player was expelled for pinching the genital area of an opponent while the ball was not in play. The decision left Getafe with a mountain to climb as they struggled to get back into a game that Atleti eventually won 1-0 thanks to a long-range strike from Nahuel Molina.

Despite the damning nature of the referee’s report, Abqar was adamant that there was no malice or sexual intent behind the contact. Speaking to the media immediately after the game, he claimed the entire incident was a misunderstanding of his physical style of defending. "I’m doing the interview because of the red card. It was not my intention to touch the player in that area. In the game we clashed, but not once have I thought about touching him there. I swear I didn't think about touching him there," he explained.

The defender continued to plead his case, suggesting he was simply trying to make contact with the striker's torso to hold his ground during the confrontation. "I wanted to bump into him like happens in football. The referee has seen it, but I didn't want to touch him there. They stop it there, but if you see the video, I don't even look at him. I wanted to touch his belly. It was not my intention to grab him in that area," Abqar added in his defence.

Atletico manager Diego Simeone admitted after the match that even he was initially confused by the unfolding events on the touchline. The Argentine coach revealed that the communication from the officials was initially unclear, with some suggestion that the foul might have been interpreted the other way around. "The fourth official told us it was the other way around. I haven't seen the images yet, but it had been as it happened in the match. The referee made that decision," the Atleti boss commented.

Simeone was quick to move on from the controversy, choosing instead to trust the technology that ended up benefiting his side during a physical encounter. Regarding the dismissal, Simeone stated he had nothing to comment given that VAR is in place to make those specific decisions. He eventually substituted Sorloth to avoid the risk of a second yellow card after the striker became a target for Getafe's frustrations.

Jose Bordalas, head coach of Getafe, weighed in on the controversial red card, saying: "I've been reviewing the play; they were jostling. It's always been seen in football. He didn't look at him. To put it bluntly, I don't think he grabbed him by the balls. I've never seen a player sent off for that. I thought they were reviewing Arambarri's play. I'll never understand the criteria."