It is not an easy season for the referee team. The clearest evidence of this is the denunciation. “Lack of freedom of expression” spread by Carlo Ancelotti And Xavi HernandezCoaches of LaLiga’s two biggest teams. Celta’s Rafa Benítez, one of the coaches who thought he was harmed the most, did not attend the meeting held by both groups. But the referees They are enjoying the training they did in the first half of the season.
“Accuracy and impartiality”
“Whoever tells me that this season They have a problem, they are not following the match: Only two bad whistles were heard in the Second and in the First “It works well in the area, with some faults, but there are many successes. We are very pleased with the work of our staff for many reasons: for the level of success and impartiality“We can prove this with statistics.”
Both are quotes Luis Medina CantalejoThe president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) appeared on stage together with Carlos Clos Gómez, director of the VAR project, and Alberto Undiano Mallenco from the CTA technical commission.
Medina Cantalejo said that the referees experienced “mobbing” from the players. “This sometimes happens in the technical field where it is very difficult to work. For example, when you surround the referee who will consult on a problem or incident“said the head of referees, who were then forced to clarify the use of a term which, according to the RAE, means “harassment to which a person is systematically subjected in the workplace, often resulting in serious psychological distress.” The former referee explained: “There is no psychological problem in our team”.
VAR sounds
In this context, Medina Cantalejo developed his grievance against the oppression they were subjected to, implying – without quoting explicitly – that: Videos produced by Real Madrid Television in some cases before meetings. “We experienced moments of very harsh criticism. I think this was not positive before the meeting was held. Pressure began to be put on referees. “Their job is already complex enough without putting unnecessary pressure on them.”
In the normative field, Medina Cantalejo announced that the CTA met with LaLiga technicians. you can hear their voices THERE IS. Regarding this proposal, the group president said, “We will make arrangements so that the audience can listen to the referee’s conversation with VAR. It can be used to understand the plays and situations of the match.”
Rubiales case and Negreira case
There were also problems with the two most important processes experienced by Spanish football. On the one hand, the Rubiales case, in which the referees were accused of not taking a stance on this issue. “My job is not to give ideas to politicians. Whatever I have to talk about Luis RubialesOf course I mentioned it.. I’ve never given you any headlines in my life, I’ve only talked about penalties. When the President resigned, I handed over my duties to Pedro Rocha and I’m still here. “There is my answer,” he defended.
“The emergence of the Negreira case surprised us all, and we submitted all the information we had to the judiciary. Our wish is for this matter to be resolved as soon as possible and to be paid to the maximum extent required by justice. It has done a lot of harm to the referee and we can’t wait for this to be over, because it is not only harming the refereeing, it is harming Spanish football.“, Medina Cantalejo explained the case of corruption in the organization.
The ‘secret’ room and Ortiz Arias
Asked about the functioning of the VOR room, which former referee Estrada Fernández condemned and called “secret”, the referee president said that they taught “everything”. “I don’t know the facilities at Camp Nou or the Bernabéu either. We show you everything. Maybe some people think there are tunnels connecting to each other to give instructions to the referees, but that’s not the case. By the way, before you leave: There is another simulation room upstairs, which they also say is hidden. “Preparing for the Games serves that purpose and nothing else.”
Regarding Girona player David López’s statements accusing referee Ortiz Arias of insulting him (he later withdrew this claim), Medina Cantalejo said, “It’s as if it was rehearsed.” “He was told to calm down a bit and even a teammate thanked him. We made a statement that we had listened to him and made it available to the club and the player. It is a very serious situation for a player to say that the referee insulted him.. “If that were the case, Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias would not be on the CTA roster.”