“Many judges ask for your respect from a position of power… and they don’t respect you” | Relief

It’s Tuesday. La Liga has just come to an end and Relevo quotes Oliver Torres and Oscar Valentin from Vocento. The one from Navalmoral de la Mata, who has just said goodbye to Seville, arrives for the meeting 30 minutes early. “I know how it goes because I studied journalism,” he jokes. “I always say I learned this because having this…,” he continues laughing. Half an hour later, Oscar Valentin, captain of Rayo Vallecano, appears.

Oliver and Oscar portray the new generation of footballers. Both of them are under 30 years old, but they have been, so to speak, among the football elite all their lives. And yesand they show themselves to be two normal children who were lucky enough to achieve a dream. “This is cool, right? We get together, talk, and then in the field – nothing,” admits the second. For over an hour, face to face, both players show us the ins and outs of Spanish football, revealing its inner workings. Sometimes we lose space and are taken into the locker room tunnel.

Your relationship with the judges

The conversation drags on for so long that it would be a crime to interrupt it. In his first part, the former Sevilla footballer and Franjirrojo captain talks about referees and the relationship between players and fans. The hanger is the VAR recordings and the unpleasant incident between Cadiz captain Alex Fernandez and the Cadiz fans.

“Let’s see, I really respect the figure of the referee, because it seems to me something super complicated, you know? 22 guys playing, many of whom are trying to trick you, and a stadium that whistles at you every time you do it. I won’t whistle something in favor… And starting with the fact that human error exists, because we make mistakes in the game many times, Oliver begins, as if he wants to put a band-aid on a wound.

“What would I change about the judges? In many of them. Some don’t. Their attitude towards the players, I think in many cases they speak to you from a position of strength, authority, but with such arrogance that when they ask for respect, they don’t respect you,” he says. The former Sevilla, Porto and Atlético Madrid footballer, among others, seeks to “humanize” the figure of the referee and invites them to “come out and answer a few questions after each match to explain their criteria and what they saw.” , what didn’t they see, what did he feel? “The point is that otherwise they will always be a super rated figure and people will turn against them because they usually don’t like them. Everything would be much more transparent, and we would not think about whether there is a witch hunt or not.“, Add.

The issue of arbitration becomes a central topic of conversation. Especially in a situation where the refereeing establishment has set a precedent in terms of openness by releasing the VAR audio recording. However, Oliver and Oscar cannot be completely convinced. “It doesn’t seem bad to me. But of course it is true that this year almost all the VAR audio they played was controversial, but easy to resolve,” says Navalmoral de la Mata. “Do you think it might be better if these audio recordings were heard live, right now?” Oscar Valentine blurts out. “It’s not bad… After all, with the technology that we have on television, it can be a dialect, yes, when the judge looks at the screen and you see the VOR room, well, that’s the conversation they have… Yes, let it be seen live. I mean, I don’t think we should hide something natural.”

In this talk, Oscar Valentin represents resilience in the face of Oliver Torres’ earthquake. Minutes pass and the Rayo captain begins to loosen his grip. “I also think the judges, like us, want to do the best they can. They also have their own points classification, they can be relegated to the second division, I don’t think they want to make mistakes on purpose, and as we said, these are also mistakes that should be minimized more and more today. because the VAR tool is very good for me for this,” he analyzes. “But I think it ended up causing more controversy. Their job is very difficult and I think that we as footballers also need to help them a little more in that sense.” I think at the end of the day they live in an atmosphere of tension and they pass that on to the players on the field. When it comes to talking to you, but I think it’s also because of what you say because They live with the feeling that they are always being judged, that everyone is looking for their own guilt, and then it’s as if you go to talk to them, and they go against you. And it’s like, dude, no, I want to help you.“, offer.

Mateu Laos and Ricardo de Burgos Bengoechea

The name of Mateu Lahosa appears on the stage. “There were even times when he hesitated. But always out of love and respect, and he made you feel good.” and he told you: “Okay, dude, I won’t tell you now, because I didn’t see it, but I’ll be more careful.” I think they should sympathize a little that we are making a thousand revolutions. Try to learn how to adapt to it, you know? I think most of all they have to convey calm,” Oliver recalls.

Immediately after this, another Oscar Valentin referee comes to mind: De Burgos Bengoechea. “He knows how to play matches very well, he lets people play. And that’s where I think they need to make a lot of progress too, because in the Spanish league you play a game and every two minutes there’s a foul.” On the other hand, you play the Premier, and it’s amazing.” “Let’s see, the golden mean. This is that if there is no blood, they don’t call a foul. This can’t be true either,” Oliver interrupts. “But yes, I think that here we need to give the game more continuity, make it more dynamic. Make it much more dynamic, because if this is not done… And the football player becomes infected. You know there’s pressure on your back, and you know that if you hit the ground, he’ll whistle at you. “This makes me very angry.” Add.

The conversation develops, and both players manage to behave naturally and sincerely, which is important. “Exactly, and I think they need to calibrate this issue. It’s also true that… some teams are harder to play against because they seem to whistle easier.” I mean, you put the same pressure on me as you put on the other more important player, so to speak, and it’s like… You have more respect for a different type of player. And I think that’s okay too, you know? But I believe that there should be the same criteria for everything. And I think that often, not consciously, but on an unconscious level, you don’t have that,” Oscar adds.

Social media

The issue of arbitration gives way to an issue that worries them even more: the feelings of fans, their relationship to them and social networks. “Lace social media? I really like them, but they are difficult– sincere Oliver Torres. Sitting face to face, chatting openly, hatred takes over the conversation.

“Haand a lot of irrelevant haters who don’t know how much they can hurt you. Not only you, but also your family members who also suffer from it. I’ve been through a lot at 29 years old. YesIt’s true, when I started, when I was 17, I didn’t know how to deal with these things. Even if you are strong and think it doesn’t affect you, it does affect you. Networks are a double-edged sword. Any comment, good or bad, should be taken as is and not given too much importance. Perhaps you played what you thought was a good game, but you see negative opinions online. It can’t affect you. And, on the other hand, andIt is generally accepted that they can insult us, that they can tell us anything, and that we have no opportunity to answer them, because, besides, if you answer, you are doing it wrong. “, admits the Extremadura midfielder.

“In your case, I think you’ll handle it a little worse because of the club you’re in, because everything has a much larger dimension,” responds Oscar Valentin. “Also, well, it depends on athletic performance, right? If your team is doing poorly and you post a photo with a colleague in a restaurant, you will be criticized.. The footballer is being harshly criticized on social networks. Very, very criticized. You must be very careful with downloadable content. For a 17-18 year old who is just starting out and is influenced by the opinions of others, this can affect him,” says the Rayo captain.

“The player is poorly taken care of in many cases.”

They talk about inertia. The conversation takes on meaning and the two main characters open up. “It’s unfair, but if someone starts saying I’m unprofessional, eventually trends arise and people follow them.. This seems very unfair to me. I think all of this needs to be given a little more attention. The player is poorly maintained in many cases and as you said, you always have to worry about uploading a photo with a friend because they might tell you something.or. We are people, we are young people, we are like everyone else, and the only thing we try to do is do our job as best as possible.. Our happiness depends on the weekend. We are the first to want the team to win because our peace of mind and our happiness depend on it. And not only us, but also the people and our families who suffer or enjoy this with you,” says Oliver Torres.

“These are people who hide behind profiles because they don’t dare say it to your face. Over time, you care less and more about what your family, your teammates and your coach think of you,” Oscar Valentin replies.

“The expression ‘you should throw eggs’ should be changed”

Oliver and Oscar hear “They didn’t throw eggs in there” and laugh. Surprisingly. An expression repeated among football fans when results do not come, it angers and causes controversy among the protagonists. “People have to realize that a footballer wants to perform at his best. When they say that “they didn’t give him eggs”… let’s see, I go out into the field to try my best.. There are days when things go well and days when things go wrong. WithWhen they say that, I say: “Damn, in the end, in football you have to evaluate other things, tactics, I don’t know.”“, states the player Rayista.

“But if you understand, every time you say, “They didn’t give him eggs,” it’s a matter of result. A 1-0 win or a 1-0 loss is either “what a great team” or “you can’t handle it.” This is unfair and that’s the goal difference. It’s luck, man, because at the end of the day, football is often about luck and little details. It’s a pity that a whole week’s work is judged by luck. “I would like the analysis to become much more in-depth,” notes Oliver Torres, who shares his thoughts with Oscar Valentin.

“Every game I play, I risk my life, my future, to be able to play in the next game. People think we’re losing the game and we don’t care. We are losing a game in which, for example, you did not show a good game and failed for two or three days. You don’t want to talk to anyone. You don’t feel like exercising. You don’t want it because you don’t feel well.. That’s what you’re saying. “I think the expression ‘we need to add more eggs’ should be changed and a deeper analysis done.”

“A true hobby is one that always imparts useful things to you, whether things are going well or not.“Oscar speaking. The captain, who is proud of the Vallecas area, praises his fans.”When Atlético scored us seven goals at home, we went outside to pick up our cars and people cheered us on. This is unthinkable in another club. “I have nothing against other fans, but Rayo stood out because all they want is for you to give your all on the pitch.”

We will be publishing the next chapters in the next few days…