Real Madrid's Huijsen to miss Espanyol game after suspension upheld

Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen will miss this weekend's La Liga fixture against Espanyol after Spain's football authorities upheld a one-match suspension for a red card he received last Saturday at Real Sociedad, the club confirmed on Thursday. Huijsen was dismissed in the 32nd minute for a challenge on Mikel Oyarzabal during Real Madrid's 2-1 win at the Reale Arena, and the club's repeated appeals against the decision were rejected by the federation's disciplinary and appeal bodies and by the Administrative Sports Tribunal TAD.

Referee Jesús Gil Manzano shown Huijsen a straight red for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, a decision that was not referred back by the VAR official. Real Madrid argued that centreback Éder Militao was close enough to intervene and that the offence merited only a yellow card, a view voiced by coach Xabi Alonso after the match. "For me, it was a yellow card. Militao was close and the ball was not under control," Alonso said, adding that the referee's explanation had not convinced him.

The dispute intensified when the referees' Technical Committee CTA published a routine video assessment saying Gil Manzano's on-field call should have been a...