Luis Medina Cantalejo, president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), described the season of the Spanish referees as “good” despite the recent controversies, such as the possible penalty of Catena to Gavi not indicated in the Barça-Rayo last Sunday .
“I am never going to assess a play. Everyone is free to give their opinion as they wish. We have a policy of total openness and if Barça or anyone else has any question to discuss, they can come to the Committee and we will see the plays. For example, how did the Espanyol in its day. We sat down, we watched the plays they wanted to see”, he assured before giving a conference to referees and informants of the Technical Committee of Referees of the Catalan Football Federation (FCF).
That yes, on the move he wanted to clarify that “99.9%” of his staff “said that they had made a decision and only another who was a little clueless said that he had made another”, without revealing if that absolute majority percentage had been opted for calling a penalty or not.
About the season he said that “it has been good. It has not been extraordinary, nor has it been excellent. It has been good. There has been a percentage of successes infinitely higher than errors. But errors attract more attention,” Medina Cantajeljo stressed.
The controversy of the hands
Medina reiterated his intentions since he took over the reins of the CTA, such as “recovering field arbitration, supported by VAR”, making it clear that “those penalties with small contacts inside the area do not please us. We have highlighted it to referees,” he said.
As for the hands, “nothing has changed,” he said. “There is a percentage of hands that are hand, another that is not and a very high percentage that are gray. The same thing happens in Europe,” Medina Cantalejo stressed.
‘No’ to giving explanations in public
Medina was opposed to the referees giving explanations after the games, as requested by the Barça coach, Xavi Hernández, understanding that they would be exposed to a “summary trial”. “I understand the interest that there may be, by the press. There is no problem in holding a press conference beforehand. If we do it later, we expose the referees to a summary trial. I don’t get involved in how coaches should do things with their squads. I deal with it with mine, I talk about it and, if necessary, I put it in its place to anyone. Worse in my locker room, “said the president of the CTA
“We try by all means to work every week and watch all the games to break them down. You have to be self-critical. From inside we correct, admitting that there are mistakes and many successes,” he said.
“We have been under pressure all our lives. But there is no extra pressure or any indication for a club to play the Super Cup or not. In my life he has never called me to favor anyone. It is impossible. There are successes and mistakes, but We approach the matches in the same way”, he commented.
On the VAR, Medina Cantalejo indicated that “it has been four years. The gear of calibrating the level of intervention is being handled. What do we have to touch on? The issue of the hands. But the International Board rule is not going to change. What would introduce, the consequence after the hand. The criteria of the hands, the referees have it clear, but there are hands that are gray”. “Serious foul play tackles are very tough on it. Player protection is a primary objective of the referee.”