Did you know that a leading referee like Antonio Mateu Lahoz could make more than 400,000 per season?
Do you have a view? Is it possible that your gross in 10 years will be more than your clap? Refs should be paid more to make them more accountable. Maybe you think that refs who are between 10 and 20 years older than the elite athletes they have to keep up with deserve that level of incentive-reward. Even more? It's fine if that's what you think.
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The reputation of Spanish top-flight refereeing has been badly besmirched by Lahoz's colleagues. Even though they won't make as much money as they'd like, they and all their colleagues owe us and LaLiga's footballers a lot.
Over the last five days, there have been some ridiculous refereeing anomalies.
After a "spat" with mateu lahoz,Sergio Canales received his first red card over a nearly 500 match senior career.
Montiel and Papu Gomez for Sevilla on Vinicius and Fede Valverde were textbook straight red cards, but only the first two were worth booking. Don't even think about taking my word for it. In the U.S., you can watch the replays of the incidents on Disney+.
👀 La polémica entrada del Papu Gómez a Valverde que hace enfurecer a los aficionados del Real Madrid.... pic.twitter.com/MDBU22SG4h
— Fuera de Juego (@ESPN_FDJ) October 24, 2022
The referees made terrible decisions on each occasion but still failed to act by VAR. Two of the victims will miss out on playing time for their clubs because of the thuggery, but none of the three players who committed it will be suspended or punished. Is that right for you? Is this, after endless referee training and supervision, law-tinkering and VAR introduction, genuine all that we, spectators, media, players and managers can aspire to? I don't believe that.
On Sunday night, the piece de resistance came when the team from Villarreal defeated the team from Almeria. It was a very emotional event. A year after being diagnosed with leukaemia, the legendary vice president of the town died. He was a fundamental in the rise of the Yellow Submarine from a third-division side playing in a tiny, dilapidated stadium to a European-trophy winning club.
He died a couple of days before the match. Everyone at the club promised to dedicate the game to Llaneza's memory after a small ceremony to honor him before kick-off. Alex Baena scored the Yellow Submarine's second goal to tie the game at 1.
A young man who'd already been booked lifted up his shirt, tucked part of it behind his neck and wrote a message on it. He was sent off and furiously motioned to the protesting players that he was in the right. It was a poor example of common sense.
The instructions to Spanish referees state that players shouldn't waste time in goal celebrations which include taking their shirt off or covering their head. Baena did neither of the two things. De Burgos Bengoetxea should have anticipated that such a message would be displayed. If he meant to be so harsh about the Llaneza tribute after a goal, he should have gone to the dressing room before the game to warn them.
It's a tactic that most refs, average or great, apply: going into each dressing room, after the warm-ups, to inform teams that while the basicFIFA laws don't change, every official nevertheless has things he'll be more or less strict about: dissent The start of the awareness between players and refs can lead to a better match. It's understandable.
Baena's actions did not violate the laws even though the ref did not do this. No shirt off, no covering of the head, no excessive time-wasting, De Burgos could have let it take place for three to four seconds, added the time to his watch, and chivvied Baena into ready for the restart. Common sense, restraint and personality were the only things he had to show.
When he sent off Canales, he did the same thing. The circumstances were completely out of place. In the 98th minute, the home team drew with the visitors. As the away side prepared to take a throw in, Canales spoke to Lahoz; the referee pointed to his watch and, 16 seconds later, he was shown two yellow cards.
Canales said you could add another minute or two to the clock. He was booked by Lahoz and he said he would send him off if he continued to talk to him. With every right to make a few non-abusive dialogue remarks to any ref, Canales is reported to have said: "If I'm not allowed to speak then don't you ask me about my personal."
This is something that Lahoz is notorious for. He thinks it will help him ref well if he can ask Kevin De Bruyne how his kids are or Weligton if he's opened a bar yet. He wanted to connect with the Belgian's parents because he knew how important they were to the City player. He's weird but usually good at his job. He is the only LaLiga official chosen to referee at the World Cup.
You only need the evidence of your own eyes to conclude that Lahoz used temper, not good judgement, and took offence. After the first booking, Lahoz actually waves for the throw-in to be taken, but does a kind of double-take, as if suddenly deciding that Canales' reply has stung his pride, ignores the play and waves the second yellow. It appears to be a response to another gesture.
Lahoz's report didn't mention Canales had been abusive, swore, or protested, but he had made "observations." It's a pity.
The problem with the work done by the man was that he continued the trend for VAR to re-referee anything of potential consequence rather than the original criterion of reviewing/correct.
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Three goals were taken away from fans and players. The video review identified two previous fouls, but only one came close to being clear and obvious. When will international refereeing formally announce that, whenever a goal is scored, VAR must now review anything which might cause them embarrassment rather than look at a split-second decision missed by the refereeing team? The criteria for when VAR is used have changed, and we need to be clear about it.
I dare anyone not to conclude that there was serious foul play when they watch the assaults by Papu and Montiel on Vinicius and Valverde. "A tackle or challenge that endangers the safety of an opponent or uses excessive force or brutality must be punished as serious foul play," according to the laws of the sport's governing body.
Highly skilled, very fit and essential are the qualities of the referees. Their main tasks are not to protect one another, to show a player who's boss or to hide behind a wall after a match, not given the importance of their work to the health of the industry. It's the well-being of the players, the quality of entertainment and the enjoyment of the fans that they're employed to ensure.
Our employees know that they are. Common sense, honesty and wisdom are what we deserve.
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