Dean Huijsen has officially been handed a one-match suspension following his red card at Anoeta against Real Sociedad on Saturday. The dismissal, given by referee Gil Manzano, was contested by Real Madrid, who argued the punishment was excessive. However, the Competition Committee dismissed the appeal and confirmed the one-game ban.
Madrid are not giving up just yet. The club intends to escalate the case to the Appeals Committee, hoping to clear Huijsen to play in Saturday’s La Liga match against
Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabéu.
The timing of the suspension couldn’t be worse for Xabi Alonso’s side. Antonio Rüdiger remains sidelined with injury, while Trent Alexander-Arnold also picked up a knock in Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Marseille. If Huijsen’s ban is upheld, Madrid will be forced to turn to either David Alaba or Raul Asencio—two players who have seen very limited minutes so far this season and have their question marks—to partner Éder Militão in central defense.
One of the key arguments Madrid will present in their appeal comes from the CTA’s own post-match review show Review Time. In that analysis, Huijsen’s challenge on Mikel Oyarzabal was judged to be worthy of a yellow card rather than a straight red. The CTA explained that VAR was correct not to intervene, since protocol dictates respecting the referee’s original call unless it’s a clear and obvious error—but the acknowledgment that yellow would have been the more appropriate punishment could bolster Madrid’s case.
The club will now wait on the Appeals Committee’s decision, which could determine whether Huijsen is available for a match where defensive options are already stretched thin.
