The alarming red card disparity between Barcelona and Real Madrid this season | OneFootball

Barcelona endured their fifth red card of the season during their match against Sevilla. The incident unfolded when VAR intervened, prompting the referee to review a foul by Fermin Lopez.

Initially, Fermin was only shown a yellow card, but this decision was upgraded to a red upon review.

The Barcelona midfielder had come onto the pitch to replace Gavi, who was substituted as a precaution because the coaching staff feared he was at risk of being sent off. This decision proved wise, but unfortunately, Fermin ended up being the one sent off.

The five sending-offs

So far this season, Barcelona have seen five players sent off across all competitions, while Real Madrid have only had two expulsions.

Interestingly, Madrid have publicly called for greater protection of their players, particularly following an incident involving Carlos Romero and Kylian Mbappe.

Barcelona have received five red cards this season. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

However, attention has since shifted towards fouls against Barcelona players going unpunished. Fermin’s dismissal for his challenge was just as deserving of a red card as many fouls that have only resulted in yellow cards or no punishment at all.

A prime example was the Madrid derby, where Dani Ceballos’ dangerous studs-up challenge on Pablo Barrios went unpunished.

Barcelona’s other red cards this season include Eric Garcia in the Champions League, Ferran Torres in Girona, Wojciech Szczesny in the Spanish Super Cup, and Marc Casado against Celta Vigo.

Despite playing with ten men on multiple occasions, Barça managed to maintain their lead against Sevilla, even extending it to 4-1 thanks to Eric Garcia’s goal.

In contrast, Real Madrid’s red card incidents have had less impact. Ferland Mendy’s sending-off in Mallorca came in the final moments of the match (1-1).

The only instance where it affected the outcome was Vinicius Jr.’s dismissal against Valencia, although Madrid turned the game around to win 2-1.

Vinicius’ red card was a clear case of violent conduct, yet he received only a two-game suspension despite his aggressive behaviour when leaving the pitch.