LaLiga's refereeing hits low point: Ridiculous red cards, confusing calls

After a fewer days of immoderate genuinely horrible refereeing decisions successful LaLiga, fto maine commencement by asking you: did you cognize that a starring referee similar Antonio Mateu Lahoz could easy gain much than €400,000 per season?

What's your view? Chump alteration oregon much than your gross successful 10 years? Enough remuneration to marque refs much accountable than they are close now? Perhaps you judge that erstwhile we necessitate our refs (usually betwixt 10 and 20 years older than the elite athletes they person to support up with) to endure the spotlight of patrolling the world's favourite athletics and to support the multibillion-pound manufacture going, they merit that level of incentive-reward? Or adjacent more? Fine, if that's your constituent of view.

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Lahoz's colleagues person severely besmirched the estimation of Spanish top-flight refereeing implicit the play -- namely Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez and (VAR) Jaime Latre astatine the Bernabeu; Xavier Estrada Fernandez (VAR) astatine Valladolid; Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea astatine Villarreal; positive Juan Martinez Munuera and (VAR) Jose Luis Gonzalez Gonzalez astatine Camp Nou. Even though they won't gain rather truthful stratospherically (their mean net successful a play volition beryllium €220,000-€300,000), they and each their colleagues beryllium us, and LaLiga's footballers, overmuch much communal sense, overmuch much property and overmuch greater understanding.

Here are immoderate of the ridiculous refereeing aberrations implicit the past 5 days.

During Real Betis vs. Cadiz, Sergio Canales received his archetypal reddish paper implicit a astir 500-match elder vocation aft a "spat" with Mateu Lahoz wherever some men look childish ... followed by Valladolid's 1-0 triumph implicit Real Sociedad wherever VAR disallowed 3 goals -- each of which the on-pitch squad primitively thought were fine, and wherever possibly lone 1 involution met the archetypal criterion of a "clear and obvious" mistake.

We besides saw 3 brutal attacks connected ball-players (Montiel and Papu Gomez for Sevilla connected Vinicius and Fede Valverde, past Dani Garcia connected Gavi) that were textbook consecutive reddish cards, but lone the archetypal 2 were adjacent judged to beryllium worthy bookings. (By the way, don't instrumentality my connection for it. Go and question these incidents retired for yourself by streaming the replays connected ESPN+ successful the U.S.: minutes 30 and 94 astatine the Bernabeu, past minute 27 astatine Camp Nou).

👀 La polémica entrada del Papu Gómez a Valverde que hace enfurecer a los aficionados del Real Madrid.... pic.twitter.com/MDBU22SG4h

All abject decision-making by the referees connected each occasion, but inactive worse failures to enactment by VAR each time. None of the 3 players who perpetrated the thuggery present endure suspension, oregon punishment, but 2 of the victims, Gavi and Valverde, volition miss playing clip for their clubs arsenic a nonstop result. Does that marque consciousness to you? Is this, aft endless referee grooming and supervision, law-tinkering and VAR introduction, genuinely each that we, spectators, media, players and managers, tin aspire to? I deliberation not.

The piece de resistance came erstwhile Villarreal bushed Almeria connected Sunday night. It was a profoundly emotive occasion. Villarreal's legendary vice president, Jose Manuel Llaneza, had conscionable died aft a twelvemonth suffering from leukaemia. Aside from being a sparkling, kind, sage antheral helium was cardinal successful the 25-year emergence of the Yellow Submarine from a third-division broadside playing successful a tiny, dilapidated stadium and grooming successful nationalist parks to a European-trophy winning, double-Champions League semifinal club.

His death, lone a mates of days earlier the game, was the main taxable prematch. There was a tiny ceremonial to honour him earlier kick-off and everyone astatine the nine had promised that playing, hopefully winning, would beryllium dedicated to Llaneza's memory. Trailing 1-0, the Yellow Submarine equalised via a terrific header from Alex Baena.

The young midfielder, who'd already been booked, lifted up his shirt, tucking portion of it down his neck, successful bid to amusement a T-shirt connection which read: "Thanks for everything Llaneza." De Burgos Bengoetxea yellow-carded him for the action, sent him off, and past furiously and stubbornly motioned to protesting players that helium was successful the right. It was a disgusting deficiency of communal consciousness (a taxable here).

The instructions to Spanish referees authorities that players shouldn't discarded clip successful choreographed extremity celebrations which see taking their playing garment disconnected oregon covering their caput with their shirt. Neither of which Baena did. Displaying specified a message, if Villarreal scored, was thing which De Burgos Bengoetxea should, unquestionably, person anticipated. And, if helium intended to beryllium truthful harsh astir the displaying of immoderate Llaneza tribute aft a goal, helium owed it to Villarreal to person gone to their dressing country prematch to pass them.

It's a maneuver that astir refs, mean oregon great, apply: going into each dressing room, aft the warm-ups, to pass teams that portion the basal FIFA laws don't change, each authoritative nevertheless has things he'll beryllium much oregon little strict about: dissent, clip wasting, obstruction, playing vantage -- instrumentality your pick. It's the opening of the consciousness betwixt players and refs which tin pb to a better, much flowing, little arguable match. It's communal sense.

But, adjacent though the Basque ref chose not to bash this (or failed to expect it), Baena's actions didn't strictly contravene the laws. No excessive time-wasting, nary garment off, nary covering of the caput -- De Burgos could person fto it instrumentality spot for 3 to 4 seconds, added the clip to his watch, and chivvied Baena into readiness for the restart. He lone had to amusement communal sense, restraint and personality.

Ditto Mateu Lahoz erstwhile helium sent disconnected Canales. The circumstances were genuinely bizarre. Betis were drafting 0-0 astatine location to Cadiz successful the 98th minute. As the distant broadside prepared to instrumentality a throw-in: Canales spoke to Lahoz; the referee pointed to his ticker and, 16 seconds later, Betis' exceptional 31-year-old midfielder had been shown 2 yellowish cards and was trudging disconnected the pitch.

Radio presumption Cadena SER study that Canales said: "You could adhd different infinitesimal oregon truthful to the clock!" Lahoz booked him and allegedly added: "If you support talking to maine I'll nonstop you off!" Canales, Betis' skipper and, thus, with each close to marque a fewer non-abusive dialog remarks to immoderate ref, peculiarly the idiosyncratic Lahoz, is reported to person said: "If I'm not allowed to talk past don't you inquire maine astir my idiosyncratic matters anymore."

Lahoz is infamous for this. He believes it helps him ref good if, during a match, helium tin inquire Gerard Pique however his kids are, Malaga defender Weligton whether he's opened his caller bar-cafe yet oregon archer Kevin De Bruyne during the 2021 Champions League last to "say hullo to your folks from me!" Mateu has ne'er met the Belgian's parents but he'd work however important they'd been to the City midfielder and wanted to "connect" with him by saying that. He's odd: highly idiosyncratic, but usually beauteous bully astatine his job. Just arsenic successful 2018, he's the lone LaLiga authoritative chosen to ref astatine the upcoming World Cup.

Anyway, you lone request the grounds of your ain eyes (please spell and look astatine the incidental -- you tin stream the reply connected ESPN+ successful the U.S.) to reason that Lahoz took offence, stood connected his dignity and utilized temper, not bully judgement, to red-card Canales. After the archetypal booking, Lahoz really waves for the Almeria throw-in to beryllium taken, but does a benignant of double-take, arsenic if abruptly deciding that Canales' reply has stung his pride, ignores the play and waves the 2nd yellowish with a pompous "take THAT!" flourish. It looks similar a tit-for-tat gesture.

Canales was suspended, missed Betis' consequent 1-2 decision to Atletico Madrid, meaning his punishment vastly outstripped thing helium did oregon said. After the midweek match, Lahoz's study didn't accidental Canales had been abusive, sworn, oregon had adjacent protested -- simply noting he'd made "observations." Pathetic.

Meanwhile, the occupation with Xavier Estrada Fernandez's enactment (as VAR authoritative connected Valladolid 1-0 Real Sociedad, for which he'll beryllium paid €2,100) was that helium continued the inclination for VAR to re-referee thing of imaginable effect alternatively than the archetypal criterion of reviewing/correcting "clear and obvious" errors.

Fans and players were robbed of 3 goals. And portion the video reappraisal decently identified 2 erstwhile fouls and an offside perhaps, lone the second came adjacent to the "clear and obvious" category. When volition planetary refereeing formally denote that, whenever a extremity is scored, VAR indispensable present reappraisal thing which mightiness origin them embarrassment alternatively look astatine a split-second determination missed by the refereeing squad but which was a wide and evident error? The criteria for erstwhile VAR is utilized person changed and we merit honesty and clarity astir it.

As for what I see assaults by Papu and Montiel connected Vinicius and Valverde, and besides Garcia connected Gavi, I situation anyone (other than the VAR officials connected the night) to ticker them again and not reason determination was superior foul play. The FIFA laws accidental that: "A tackle oregon situation that endangers the information of an hostile oregon uses excessive unit oregon brutality indispensable beryllium sanctioned arsenic superior foul play."

Referees are nether pressure, highly skilled, precise acceptable and... essential. But their main tasks are not to support 1 another, to amusement a subordinate who's brag oregon to fell down the existent partition of soundlessness postmatch -- not fixed the value of their enactment to the wellness of the industry, not fixed the immense salaries they present command. Not fixed the information that it's the well-being of the players, the prime of the amusement and the enjoyment of the fans that they're employed to ensure.

They are, to each intents and purposes, our employees. And we merit amended standards of wisdom, communal consciousness and honesty astir errors.