MADRID, 12 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Extremaduran referee Jesús Gil Manzano, who this Sunday will referee the final of the Spanish Super Cup between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, has acknowledged that “the atmosphere” regarding refereeing is “very tense”, but has assured that the referees They are “more united than ever”, despite the fact that their “effort” to open up has not obtained “the appropriate response.”
“Right now we are in a very tense environment due to everything that surrounds us. We made an effort some time ago and opened ourselves up to making much more known about what was behind the refereeing, not just the character who wears black and who directs a match. “We tried to see what was behind that, to humanize the figure of the referee, because behind it there is a person, behind it there is effort, sacrifice and objectives for which you fight, work and fight every day,” he said in an interview with the official media of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
However, he believes that this effort has not been rewarded. “We have not seen a response from the media, institutions or clubs. I think that the effort we have made has not obtained the appropriate response. I think that this level of tension that exists beyond our locker room has made us more united than ever. There is a tremendous group unity, we all come together. All opinions are respected and heard and that gives us an important group wealth. What gives us greatness is that we all come together, we close ranks and we go. in the same direction,” he said.
Now, Gil Manzano will face his fourth Classic in Jeddah. “They are very special matches because you know the media impact they have, they are followed worldwide. If you add to a Clásico that it is also part of a final, I think it gives it a little more importance if possible. Directing a final entails a responsibility because there is a team that is going to win a title and the competition ends there. You know the responsibilities you have in each of the decisions you are going to make,” he explained.
“Refereeing is a challenge, what you always want is to call the game with the most responsibility, the game in which there may be the greatest rivalry. I’m really looking forward to it, with my team we have prepared it to death, we have been here for a week, we have seen the two semifinals and we have seen how each team plays. That gives us an advantage and makes us get into the atmosphere of what we can expect on Sunday,” he concluded.