Gil Manzano: “We stick to the rules, not personal taste”

Jesus Gil Manzano (Don Benito, 1984) attended AS before leaving for the Copa América, where he will experience a historic event: being the first European referee to whistle in said competition. The Extremaduran, considered one of the three best Spanish referees, along with Mateu Lahoz and Del Cerro Grande, takes another step in his international career. In this experience, he will be accompanied by other Spaniards: his assistants, Barbero Sevilla and Nevado Rodríguez, and the two VARs, De Burgos Bengoetxea and Munuera Montero.

Never before has a European referee been chosen to go to the Copa América. How do you feel?

That's right, it is an agreement between CONMEBOL and UEFA. It will be something unprecedented. I am not relaxed, I am responsible for representing the Spanish and UEFA arbitration. I really enjoy the field and this is going to be a great experience.

It is a bit of recognition for his career and being able to be in a great event despite not being in the Eurocup, where Mateu and Del Cerro will be on the field. It is a way for the three elite Spanish referees to be on the pitch in the two big tournaments.

In Spain we are three elite referees in UEFA. The three of us could not have been in the Eurocup, and two is quite an important number. That there is a third place like this is a success for the Spanish arbitration. The ten international referees that we are are of a great level. The level of Spanish arbitration is very high and is reflected in international appointments. We have Carlos (Del Cerro) and Toño (Mateu Lahoz) in the Eurocup and I in the Copa América with my team, who also come José Luis Munuera and Ricardo de Burgos as VAR. I think it makes clear UEFA's recognition of Spanish refereeing.

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The rules are the same but the style of play is not. Does the refereeing style have to be adapted?

When we have to prepare games we study the style of play of the teams. There are already differences in the Champions League depending on the country to which it belongs. The Latin character is much more vehement and passionate. Much more is played with emotions. That Latin character, which we often have in LaLiga, is going to be much more powerful in the Copa América. I will soak up the championship to the fullest, how they play, how it develops … But as Alberto Undiano said, this is like a melon, that until you open it you don't know how it will turn out.

How would you define your way of refereeing?

It is very physical, I like to be close to the play. I am open to dialogue as long as the footballer allows it because there is respect. Explaining certain situations to the player is very positive. In the Copa América with most of us we share the same language and that will not be a barrier. I am very upright in the face of protests and disrespect. If they exceed certain limits, action must be taken.

Do you expect there to be less fuss there with your hands?

The debate will always be there.

But so much change in the rules makes it difficult for players and fans to understand.

We are mere transmitters, we are not the legislators. That is IFAB, which is made up of coaches, players, referees … We put this legislation into practice. We have to abide by the rule and the spirit. Personal taste has to be left out. If we took it into account, each play would be assessed in a different way and what is sought is to unify criteria and we have them clear.

With the VAR the players have become more rogue?

It is a relatively new tool. We all have to live with it. The footballers have adapted and become accustomed to how it works and they know how to get a certain income. But for me the important thing is that they know how the VAR works. Although it is a minority, sometimes I am surprised because they ask you questions that are not contemplated in the protocol.

González González in an interview told me that footballers would gain an advantage if they knew the regulations.

In fact, I have found myself in situations where the footballer knew the regulations and has put me in trouble for that. There are also players who do not know the rules of the game and who often explain it to them and they do not understand them. Soccer is so generous that it allows you to play it without knowing the rules. In other sports it is impossible.

Where is arbitration going with so much change and news?

There are always things to improve. After each game we do a self-evaluation of each of the decisions we make and we have to find the correct decision. We are always looking for improvement. We seek to improve on a day-to-day basis. Physically the collective is fine. There is room for improvement, but we are doing very well. In decision making, we work every week to make the criteria uniform. We are always looking for improvement, for that zero error.