Barcelona ‘complain to Spanish FA’ amid reports Clasico ref has Real Madrid ties
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Updated 26/10/2020 at 14:02 GMT
Referee Juan Martinez Munuera has Real Madrid ties, Spanish paper Sport claims, and has been criticised for awarding the club a controversial penalty in the El Clasico win over Barcelona on Saturday after consulting VAR, which Barca head coach Ronald Koeman slammed as only being used to make decisions against his side.
Referee Juan Martinez Munuera awards Real Madrid CF a penalty following a VAR review during the La Liga Santander match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou on October 24, 2020
Image credit: Getty Images
Barcelona have reportedly complained to the Spanish FA following a controversial VAR call in Saturday’s El Clasico, with newspaper Sport claiming referee Juan Martinez Munuera has ties with Real Madrid.
Real ran out 3-1 Clasico winners at the Nou Camp, with Sergio Ramos’ penalty making it 2-1 before Luka Modric sealed an away victory for Zinedine Zidane’s side.
Ramos was presented with the chance to convert from 12 yards following a lengthy VAR review which spotted a foul by Clement Lenglet, and it is a decision Barca strongly contested.
Barca head coach Ronald Koeman said: "I don't understand VAR, I think it is only used to make decisions against Barca. You always get shirt tugs like that in the area and I think Ramos makes a foul on Lenglet first. There's a tug of the shirt, but not enough to make him fall behind as he did. For me it's not a penalty.
"We have had five matches and [VAR] has only been used to go against Barca. It's never gone our way. The decision had a big influence on the final result, because we were playing well up to the penalty."
Sport have since visited Martinez Munuera’s hometown of Villajoyosa in Valencia, and report the official “grew up in an environment dominated by Real”.
The paper states: "Help for Madrid from this referee is nothing new, like in Madrid-Getafe last year, and Barca suffered a new castigation from the team of his youth."
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The referee’s father, Juan Ramon, was one of the founding members of a Madrid fan club - Los Amigos de Benidorm.
Juan Ramon was also a third division referee and on occasion reportedly wore Real Madrid jerseys under his referee’s outfit.
Sport added: “Juan Ramon can be extremely proud because his other son, Miguel Martinez Munuera, was one of the assistant officials in the Clasico that Real Madrid won, because of his children's performances and VAR.”
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