Jesús Gil Manzano has received a lot of criticism after the game between Barcelona and Valencia (3-1). The referee on duty, who will lead the Champions League match between Ajax and Borussia Dortmund next Tuesday, awarded a penalty to the Catalans a few minutes before halftime. Ansu Fati seemed to be slightly touched by José Luis Gayá, after which Gil Manzano made his controversial decision. Memphis Depay shot from eleven meters, but in the Valencian camp the decision led to disbelief.
Club icon and ambassador of Valencia Ricardo Arias expressed his dissatisfaction with the conduct of the arbitration halfway through. When asked, he showed himself in front of the camera of Movistar LaLiga about the much-discussed penalty that Gil Manzano awarded. Arias was particularly annoyed by the fact that the VAR did not intervene and did not view the images often enough. “It seems like the referee is the only one who got a clear picture of what happened. He whistled purely because of the movement of Ansu Fati, while Gayá clearly hit the ball,” Arias grumbled, who does not blame Ansu Fati. “The Barcelona player just did what an attacker has to do.”
The former Valencia defender thought it was strange that Gil Manzano did not go to the screen to re-watch the penalty moment. “I don’t understand why such quick and drastic decisions are made in a match and the video screen is not consulted. This decision gave a lot of advantage to a team that, despite being said to be in heavy weather, is very strong. Barcelona doesn’t need these kinds of gifts,” said Arias.
Also the cause of the penalty, Gayá, does not have a good word for Gil Manzano’s performance. “Everyone knows I hit the ball first. I could have hit him lightly, but I hit the ball first. I have yet to see the television images again, but in some images it is clear that I hit the ball. It’s the same story as always: they whistle when they feel like it,” said the left-back.
Carlos Soler agrees with his teammate’s words, and he cannot understand why the arbiter does not go to the screen at such a questionable moment. “The referee explained to me in the field that he first hit Ansu Fati’s foot. I then spoke to Ansu and he told me it is a doubt. In situations like this you just have to go to the screen. If he goes and sees that it is a penalty, then it is clear. But he has to go and look. The referee says that Gayá Ansu is the first to touch, and therefore it is a penalty. When I see it a thousand times, I still have doubts. I don’t know why he didn’t want to see it,” concludes the midfielder.
Afterwards, Frenkie de Jong also briefly speaks about the moment from which the 2-1 came, although he says he cannot make a good judgment. “I didn’t get a good look at it, but I think it was a penalty.” Ronald Koeman comes to the same conclusion and states that he has not seen a clear picture of the situation. “I hadn’t seen it clearly. I can’t say anything about it,” said the selector.