Mourinho Rejects Sevilla Calls for Arda Guler Red Card After Real Madrid Win

Real Madrid moved closer to the top of the league with a 4-1 win over Sevilla on Sunday, but the result was followed by a sharp disagreement over an early incident involving Arda Guler. José Mourinho rejected Sevilla’s belief that the Turkish midfielder should have been dismissed while the match remained goalless.

Early flashpoint dominates Sevilla reaction

The dispute centred on a first-half collision between Guler and Sevilla’s Gerard Fernandez. Sevilla appealed strongly for a direct red card after alleging that Guler had used an elbow, yet the referee took no action and allowed the game to continue.

Luis Garcia Plaza, Sevilla’s head coach, argued that his side should have held a numerical advantage from the 25th minute onwards. He said Peque had told him at half-time that he had been struck, and maintained that the alleged offence warranted a sending-off.

Plaza said Sevilla ought to have played “11 against 10 for 65 minutes”, adding that the decision had shaped his view of the contest. While he accepted that an extra player would not necessarily have guaranteed a Sevilla win, he considered the missed punishment decisive enough that he did not wish to analyse the match beyond it.

Mourinho sees no evidence for dismissal

Mourinho said he had been unable to find footage supporting the claim. The Madrid coach explained that he had requested both television pictures and material from his own staff’s tactical camera, but had not been shown an image of the incident that had angered Garcia Plaza.

He also said Guler denied that the alleged offence had occurred. Mourinho insisted he would acknowledge a decision that had favoured his team if clear evidence emerged, but said he had seen nothing to support Sevilla’s version by the time of his post-match press conference.

• The confrontation came with the score at 0-0.
• Guler stayed on the pitch after the referee declined to intervene.
• Madrid subsequently turned the match into a comfortable 4-1 victory.
• Mourinho said he remained open to discussing the matter if objective footage was produced before Saturday.

Madrid take control after the reprieve

Madrid capitalised after the controversial moment and collected three significant points in the title race. Guler was among the scorers, with Kylian Mbappe and Yan Diomande also on the scoresheet as Mourinho’s side secured the 4-1 result.

The victory keeps Madrid within six points of Barcelona at the summit, ensuring that their league meeting this weekend will carry major weight. El Clasico is Madrid’s next domestic assignment, although their immediate attention will turn to Europe.

Leipzig visit before El Clasico

Real Madrid host RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday before preparing for the trip to face Barcelona. With the gap at six points and the Sevilla incident still under discussion, Mourinho’s squad enter a defining stretch of their season with league and European priorities running side by side.