Rodri says Kang-in Lee could have seen red in derby

Rodri has said Kang-in Lee's challenge on Federico Valverde in Sunday's Madrid derby could have been a red card. The Barcelona and Spain midfielder also said Real Madrid were wrong to turn their complaints into a wider argument about refereeing.

Speaking to COPE, he began with the match. "From a footballing perspective, it was an even match. Atletico had more presence on the pitch, made better decisions, turned the game around, and they deserved to win," Rodri said. Atlético won 2-1 at the Metropolitano.

Asked about the two incidents at the centre of Jose Mourinho's post-match criticism, he split them. "And then there are incidents that could have been handled differently; I don't think anyone would deny that," he said. "Cuti's challenge is a bit trickier because I'm not sure whether he could have pulled his foot away or not. And perhaps in Kang-in's case, though he didn't do it on purpose, a red card could have been given."

Valverde is expected to be out for at least eight weeks after the tackle. Lee, a forward, joined Atlético last month and has scored twice for them. Cristian Romero was not sent off either. Mourinho and Real Madrid TV both attacked the performance of referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias.

Rodri drew the line at what followed. "I think referees can sometimes make mistakes, but they don't transcend throughout a league of 38 games in that sense," he said. He described the comments from Mourinho and Real Madrid TV as harmful. "These comments hurt football. We have to try to avoid that type of discourse, football is above it. We are human and we all fail."

He accepted that clubs are entitled to stand up for themselves. "It's okay to defend your club and stand up for your stance – in fact I've done that a few times – but to a certain extent. I don't believe in that part."

His remarks also answered the suggestion that refereeing is being steered so that Barcelona win the title. If Real Madrid keep pressing the point, this may mean the argument over the derby carries on into the next round of fixtures, with a Barcelona player now on record disputing it.