‘They are the only ones who go out onto the pitch with no-one supporting them’ – Rayo Vallecano manager Íñigo Pérez on La Liga refereeing

Barcelona took on Rayo Vallecano on Monday evening at Montjüic, and played out a 1-0 win against the side from Madrid, which put them top of the table.

Following the fixture, plenty of discussion was dedicated towards the standard of refereeing in La Liga, which has famously come into question in recent weeks.

This fixture had plenty of controversial calls as well, with a Robert Lewandowski penalty being the deciding factor in the tie.

Rayo Vallecano manager Íñigo Pérez was reserved when it came to giving an opinion on the standard of referreeing, understandably unwilling to put his neck on the line.

As per Radioestadio Noche, Pérez said, “I don’t have an opinion on refereeing decisions; I feel a lot of empathy for the referees, they are the only ones who go out on the pitch and they don’t have anyone to support them.”

This take comes during a time when Real Madrid are seething with the standard of refereeing in Spanish football, calling out several controversial calls in their recent games.

Pérez’s take provides a fresh insight into another side of the coin which feels less strongly about the topic, and understands that referees are just people trying to do their jobs.

GSFN | Ciaran Currie