Alfonso Perez Burrull, the Atlético Madrid-Getafe referee this Saturday, probably never imagined giving a red card after such an action. In the 55th minute of the La Liga match, the official was called by the VAR to review a gesture that he had not noticed. And he had to face the facts: Abdel Abqar had to be excluded.
The Getafe defender had just pinched the private parts of Alexander Sorloth, the Atlético Madrid striker. A gesture which surprised the Norwegian, who then pulled his opponent by the arm and sent him to the ground. He also received a yellow card for this unsporting gesture.
💥 | The VAR enters the Metropolitano in an unusual action. 🔴⚪️🇪🇸
📌 Abqar who was curious about the size of Sorloth’s parts, inspects them, IT IS RED
✅ Success of the referee team
🏟️ Atlético de Madrid- Getafe pic.twitter.com/wGIdSoQ3fY
— Laliga News (@laligaa_nenews) March 14, 2026
After the meeting, Abdel Abqar assured that he wanted to “touch the stomach” of his opponent and not his penis. “I have never seen a player who gets sent off for that, these are actions that we see all the time and I do not believe that he grabbed his testicles,” said his coach Pepe Bordalas.
La Liga has decided to impose a severe sanction on the Moroccan defender, guilty of “unsporting conduct”. He will be suspended for his team’s next two matches, against Espanyol Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao.