Barça again clash with Martinez Munuera due to the express sending off of Vitor Roque | Relief
Another week of problems with refereeing, the main character of which is Barcelona. In Mendizorroz they again encountered Martinez Munuera, an old acquaintance. Within five minutes, the referee sent off Vitor Roque with two yellow cards. The second of these is especially controversial. The Brazilian tries to catch the ball with Rafa Marin and the referee interprets this as him involuntarily hitting him with the iron. The center back looked the same, showing pain and squirming while holding his leg.
However, The replay shows that there is minimal or no contact between Vitor Roque and Rafa Marin and that the action is not enough to punish the player. neither with yellow, nor especially with the second yellow. They also warned of a possible foul by Pedri just before the transition. It should be remembered that the VAR cannot introduce this type of action according to the protocol. He can only judge yellow cards if the referee does not know his identity.
The red now stops the projection of Vitor Roque, who seems to have finally adapted to what Barcelona expects of him. The Brazilian made his debut as a goalscorer last Wednesday in the match against Osasuna.. And that same Saturday, despite coming on as a substitute again (he came on in the 59th minute due to Gündogan’s discomfort), he again found the goal with a good first-touch shot from Fort.
Barca could appeal the second warning, but in order for the committee to withdraw it they would have to demonstrate clearly and concisely that There is no contact between Vitor Roque himself and Rafa Marin.. Something unlikely: the most natural thing is that he serves a one-match punishment and misses the match with Granada. The first card was for hitting Tenaglia with his hand while trying to get out of the way to get him out of the way. This was talked about less, unlike the second act.
Xavi complained to DAZN about his striker’s red card: “We’re going to appeal the card because it’s clear it’s a mistake. Another referee mistake before us. “Obviously the exclusion is very unfair.”
Barca will have to deal with Martinez Munuera again
Martinez Munuera already angered Xavi Hernandez and Barcelona in the last Spanish Super Cup. He took charge of the grand final against Real Madrid, where he awarded a penalty with the scoreboard 2-1 in Araujo’s favor over Vinicius. The VAR did not correct him, considering that it was an interpretive play.
He subsequently sent off Araujo, who had already been shown a yellow card in the penalty, for a double booking after the Uruguayan tackled Vinicius.. The Blaugrana referee considered that the opponent had exaggerated his actions and therefore the sending off was unfair.
This is not the first time Barcelona have faced Martinez Munuera. In October 2020, a fight between Lenglet and Ramos was sanctioned by a penalty in favor of Real Madrid, who eventually won the Clasico 1–3. He also managed, with great success for the Blaugrana, Barca’s 0-4 victory at the Bernabeu (March 2022) and, conversely, a resounding defeat in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final in 2023.in which White won with a score of 0–4 and received a ticket to the final, and then the title.
