Abraham P. Romero Madrid
Madrid
Updated Tuesday, January 23, 2024-02:39
The
Spanish referee
has always been at the center of criticism and insults from fans and clubs.
It is not exclusive.
But in the last 12 months, the referees have seen how the tension and suspicion of the rest of the protagonists of the ball piled up around them.
The explosion of the
Negreira Case
, the changes after the introduction of the
VAR
, the publication (and the first leak) of the
referees'
audios , the retirements of two historical players such as
Mateu Lahoz and Del Cerro Grande
, the move of some referees from the field to the
sets
, the critical
statements and videos
of the clubs... Everything has been a breeding ground for Spanish football to live in a constant alienation regarding the referee's actions.
A
suspicion
that seems to have no end and that has had another example of it after the three VAR interventions at the Bernabéu.
But let's remember.
On
February 15, 2023,
Spanish football discovered the
Negreira Case
, the investigation into Barcelona's payments to number 2 of the referees between 1994 and 2018. Some exclusives that are now close to celebrating their first anniversary and an investigation that is still in progress. development, but which has put the referees at the center of the debate.
Even more so.
Since the beginning of the information, the situation created division in Spanish football, put
Barça and Madrid
even more at odds, caused the "
utmost concern
" of the rest of the clubs and led to several interrogations of many of the referees who are still active.
The referees themselves admit that the shadow of corruption in the establishment has damaged the arbitration, has increased the climate of tension and, they insist,
they are "fed up" with the Negreira Case
.
That atmosphere towards the establishment grew after the information from February 2023, with
chants and gestures of rejection
not only at the Bernabéu, but also at the
Pizjuán, the Coliseum, San Mamés or Mestalla
.
And he didn't just stay in the stadium.
Madrid's crusade
against
the refereeing system is evident, and there are the videos on their television before and after each match analyzing the performances of those who lead the white team.
A constant that is seen by the CTA as a way to "generate pressure" on the referees.
But the whites are not the only ones to directly criticize the referees.
On Sunday, Xavi
himself
said: "
It's going to be very difficult to win this League
, I already said in Getafe that there were things that didn't suit me."
"The integrity of the competition cannot be in doubt, that there be no suspicions,"
Gil Marín
asked months ago.
This season, complaints from clubs have piled up at the CTA.
Sevilla, Real Sociedad, Athletic Club, Celta, Almería, Mallorca, Betis, Cádiz, Girona, Alavés
... If you search for the name of a team on Google and add "referee complaints" you will have an answer.
But do those complaints have weight?
Is Spanish arbitration worse than before?
The refereeing level, "elite"
The withdrawals of
Mateu , who whistled the
2021 Champions League
final
, and
Del Cerro (
2023 Conference
final
) have left the team without its two best men, but Spain continues to be a reference in the elite of European football.
Hernández Hernández, Gil Manzano and Sánchez Martínez
have a "
UEFA Elite
" poster, with Spain being the only country along with France and Germany to have three or more referees at this level.
Last year, the Spanish referees were
the ones who directed the most matches in the Champions League
(16), ahead of Italy (13) and Germany (9) and were the ones who accumulated the most responsibility in the
VAR room at the World Cup in Qatar
.
In this edition of the European Cup, the presence of five Spaniards in the group stage has limited their participation to six matches, compared to 11 for the Italians and eight for the Germans, and the four national teams in the round of 16 will not help them either. to add a lot in this round, but in the Federation they do not doubt the confidence of FIFA and UEFA in the Spanish establishment: "We are elite for them," they assure from the Las Rozas Football City.
The referees, of course, are also suspicious of the "
environment" that surrounds football right now
and, according to sources close to the referees, of some former teammates who in recent years have gone to the media.
The
landing of the VAR
and its use is the great dilemma these days.
In some matches, such as the one at the Bernabéu, the field judge is a
young man
(Hernández Maeso) and the VAR judge is an
experienced
one (Hernández Hernández).
The CTA argues for the need to mix profiles, but some clubs prefer that power and experience reside on the grass.
In Chamartín, for example, three reviews took place.
Another issue is the
publication of the audios
, something that has generated even more content.
The RFEF wants them to be published live to improve transparency, but some referees believe it puts the focus on them instead of the rest of the match.
"The focus is for others," they admit.