After the Champions League comparison with Real, Angel Correa is involuntarily taking a one-month break from Atletico Madrid. The sending off against Getafe – and especially his reaction to it – has cost the Argentine dearly.
Atletico Madrid had not been beaten in the league since mid-January and were on the verge of recording their third consecutive La Liga victory. In a weak game at Getafe, the Rojiblancos took a 1-0 lead thanks to a hand penalty in the opening quarter of an hour.
But then, of all people, Atletico’s Angel Correa, a substitute, provided the initial spark for the home side’s comeback. The Argentinian was initially shown a yellow card by referee Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez for his open-sole attack on defender Djené. After viewing the video footage, however, the Spanish referee decided to show him the red card. Correa was heard shouting abuse as he reluctantly left the pitch.
Both Barcelona matches without Correa
The disciplinary committee of the Spanish Football Association imposed a five-match ban on Correa in national competitions on Wednesday. This means that Correa will miss at least the La Liga matches against FC Barcelona, Espanyol, FC Sevilla and Valladolid, as well as the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final against Barcelona (first leg 4-4). Correa will not be allowed to return to the action until mid-April.
In Spain, a penalty for insulting a referee can last up to twelve matches, with a minimum of four – and another was added for the red card. Referee Cuadra Fernandez noted the fierce insults well below the belt in the match report.
Correa quickly regretted his behavior and took to his social media channels to say: “I want to apologize to the referee for my reaction after being sent off. I have total respect for referees, and that reaction was uncharacteristic of me. I was very upset because I left the team with ten men at such a sensitive moment, and I reacted in the worst possible way. I hope you accept my sincere apologies. I would also like to apologize to my teammates, the coaches and our fans for an action that I should not have taken and that cost us dearly.”
Getafe equalized immediately after the sending off and even turned the game around in injury time. A serious setback in the tight three-way race for the Spanish league title.
