Gil Manzano at it again against Barcelona at the Reale Arena – Opinion | OneFootball

If you asked FC Barcelona fans which referee they wished was never assigned to one of their games again, the answer would unanimously be Gil Manzano. The 41-year-old official has caused so much grief for the Catalan club over the years.

Last night, he was back to his usual antics at the Reale Arena, doing everything in his power to prevent Barcelona from securing a win, and, for the second successive year at the same stadium, the tricks worked.

It all started very early when Fermin Lopez found the back of the net with a firecracker of a shot, only for it to be ruled out for a foul in the build-up by Dani Olmo on Take Kubo. We are not arguing with the decision to disallow it.

However, if this was a foul, why was the foul on Olmo, which was even more blatant, in the lead-up to Real Sociedad and Mikel Oyarzabal’s first goal, not even checked by VAR? The precedent for a double standard was set very early.

Then came the controversy over Barcelona’s disallowed goal, courtesy of Lamine Yamal. The linesman flagged it, and Manzano and VAR were more than happy to stick with the decision, despite images later showing that the Spaniard was onside.

Throughout the game, there was inconsistency in his decisions on fouls and cards, with no clear pattern in how the match was officiated. It is always a problem when the referee is desperate to become the protagonist.

It is very unlike Frenkie de Jong or Hansi Flick to come out as they did after the game and tear into a refereeing team, but the fact that the captain and the coach felt the need to do so says more about Gil Manzano than it does about them.

In the nine minutes of stoppage time given to Barcelona after the 90, Sociedad wasted so much time. This was brought to the referee’s attention by Frenkie de Jong, and not only did the Catalan club not get more minutes, but the Dutchman also earned a yellow card for his efforts.

This is not the first time Barcelona have lost a game officiated by him, and it certainly will not be the last. When a referee needs a VAR check to give one of the most blatant red cards in football for a challenge on Pedri, there is not much else to be said.

All in all, the moral of the story is clear: whenever Gil Manzano is the referee for a Barcelona game, the Catalan club starts with their backs against the wall. Anything other than a defeat on the night is just a bonus.