La Liga's 2026-2027 curtain-raiser between Deportivo Alaves and Getafe served up the season's first refereeing storm. Manuel Jesus Ortiz Oliana flashed a red card at Kiko Femenia, and Getafe were down to 10 men.
Cadena SER reported that Femenia's dismissal followed a heavy challenge on Adebayo Ribeiro. The Getafe man arrived late after the Alaves defence had cleared, catching his opponent with his leg outstretched and his boot raised. Down went the striker. Ortiz Oliana judged it a foul worthy of a straight red.
Refereeing expert Iturralde Gonzalez backed the call in principle. Before the VAR review, he pointed to the outstretched leg and the raised boot, hallmarks of a serious foul that demands strict punishment.
The row, though, had little to do with the challenge itself. It centred on the footage the referee saw during the video review. He was shown distant, unclear images that made verifying the incident far harder, according to the refereeing analysis accompanying the match.
Standing right on top of the incident with a clear view, the referee never really needed VAR to reach his decision, Iturralde argued. Yet he flagged serious doubts over the quality of the pictures shown during the review, insisting the available footage left no room for full certainty.
Commentators tore into the image quality. They voiced their astonishment at how poor the footage handed to the referee looked in the opening matches of the campaign, demanding sharper pictures whenever officials review decisive calls.
The red card stood. Getafe finished the first half a man light, and the decision cranked up the intensity of the contest while lighting an early fire under the debate over refereeing and VAR in the new La Liga season.