CTA chief responds to Barcelona president’s criticism of referee – ‘Every club defends its interests’ | OneFootball

Hansi Flick’s sending-off against Girona came out of the blue and was not one many saw coming, given that the manager did not make any action that warranted such serious punishment.

He was initially sanctioned for mockingly applauding the referee’s decision over a controversial call, but was shown a swift second yellow for merely protesting against just four minutes being added after the second half.

Speaking in a recent interaction, Barcelona president Joan Laporta expressed solidarity with the manager and hit out at the referee on the night – Gil Manzano – for provoking a second yellow out of nothing.

“The referee went too far when he showed the yellow card and waited for our coach to react. It will be difficult to get the cards rescinded,” he said.

Further criticising Gil Manzano, Laporta added: “I didn’t like the referee’s attitude. This man has sent off almost all of our star players. You only have to look at his record with us.

“Something always happens. It just so happens that it’s before a match that will decide the league leadership.”

Referees’ chief speaks

Speaking to the media in an interaction earlier today, the Head of the Referees’ Technical Committee (CTA), Francisco Soto, was asked to give his thoughts on Laporta’s open accusations but refused to comment on the matter.

“I don’t want to get into evaluating Laporta’s statements. We respect everything he says, but we will not comment,” he began.

Joan Laporta was critical of Gil Manzano after the Girona match. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

“Every club defends its interests and expresses them in its own way, while we must focus on our work: refereeing, hard work, and making the right decisions on the field; that is our real job,” he added diplomatically.

The CTA chief was then quizzed about who the referee would be for the weekend’s blockbuster clash – El Clasico. When asked if it would be Mateo Busquets, he made sure not to give anything away.

“The referee who will officiate the match will be an experienced one. If it’s Mateo, he’s an excellent referee and will become an international one in January,” he began.

“If it’s someone else, they will be the most suitable. I won’t reveal the name now, and I hope it won’t be known until the night of the match. But I confirm that any referee we have is fully qualified to manage this encounter,” he added, showing faith in the league referees.

He was then asked if the official on the night could be Cesar Soto Grado or Juan Martinez Munuera, to which he simply said, “Yes.”

Source: Mundo Deportivo