RFEF Disciplinary Committee Overturns Unai López’s Yellow Card

The Disciplinary Committee of the RFEF has decided to nullify the yellow card awarded to Unai López, the midfielder from Rayo Vallecano, during the 57th minute of the match against Elche last Sunday.

Rayo Vallecano submitted a formal appeal along with video evidence of the incident leading to López’s booking. The footage clearly shows that Germán Valera reached the ball first and jumped over Unai to avoid a collision. Although there was no contact, it was evident to all observers that a foul occurred, with only Unai repeatedly insisting that he was not touched. His action resulted in Germán falling to the ground while attempting to evade the incoming challenge from the Rayo player. Given that this was deemed a promising play, the issuance of a yellow card seemed unjustifiable.

However, referee Cordero Vega noted in his report that there was a ‘tackle.’ The legal team of Rayo Vallecano adeptly argued against this decision, stating, “In the absence of contact, it cannot be legally classified as a ‘tackle.'”

On Friday, the Disciplinary Committee ruled that “the careful examination of the evidence presented leads this Committee to conclude that the incident described in the report did not occur. Therefore, the arguments put forth are valid, and the booking will be annulled.”

As a result, Unai López, who had already served a suspension due to accumulated yellow cards in the match against Betis in Vallecas, retains a clean slate in the second cycle of bookings.