Referees are frequently in the spotlight. They are talked about because of their mistakes. This time, Jesus Gil Manzano did something which should earn him lots of respect: he apologised to the Valencia players after making a mistake.
The first half was coming to a close. The home side were counterattacking dangerously. Umtiti went towards the opposition half and stopped Maxi Gomez with a clear foul to break down the move. However, it gave time for him to send a long pass to Ferran Torres on the near side, who had a clear path to the area.
Gil Manzano initially played advantage, but when he saw the long pass, he thought there was no one there to receive the ball so he gave a foul. A second later, Ferran Torres appeared out of his line of vision and he realised his mistake. He apologised up to three times to the Valencia players who were surrounding him.
Mestalla criticised the referee heavily because it was a clear goalscoring opportunity. The mistake will still be talked about, but he will have surely be praised for admitting his error.
January 25, 2020