Spanish referee Jesús Gil Manzano has further cemented his controversial reputation in Barcelona matches, following his recent performance at the Anoeta Stadium, which many considered detrimental to the Catalan club. His poor officiating wasn’t limited to the most impulsive players; it extended even to more composed players like Frenkie de Jong, further escalating tensions within the team.
Gil Manzano has now officiated 45 Barcelona matches, issuing 12 red cards. This makes Barcelona the team with the most red cards under his watch by a significant margin, followed by Real Betis with 7 in 36 matches. Red cards have been shown to stars such as Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Neymar, and Robert Lewandowski, as well as Dani Alves, Clément Lenglet, Sergi Roberto, Gerard Piqué, and Wojciech Szczęsny, adding to a long history of controversial decisions against the club.
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At Anoeta, Gil Manzano disallowed a goal by Firmino due to a previous foul on Dani Olmo, while ignoring a similar foul before Real Sociedad’s first goal. He also disallowed a goal by Lamine Yamal for a controversial offside. Carlos Soler received a red card amid a tense atmosphere, before VAR intervened to overturn a decision regarding a violent tackle on Pedri, even though the referee was in a perfect position to see the foul.
The drama didn’t end there. The match was concluded in stoppage time after just nine minutes, two seconds before the final whistle, despite clear attempts by the home team to waste time. This sparked outrage among fans and intensified the controversy surrounding the referee’s alleged bias toward the home side.
According to the Spanish newspaper El Nacional, Barcelona officials, led by Joan Laporta, are planning to file a formal complaint with the Spanish Football Federation’s referees committee. Their aim is to have Gil Manzano removed from officiating Barcelona matches in the future to maintain the integrity of the competition and restore confidence among the club’s players and supporters.
