Real Madrid: Villarreal unhappy with referee appointment
Jesús Gil Manzano caused controversy in 2016-17 after awarding Madrid a late penalty in a 3-2 win at the Cerámica, then leaving with Madrid-branded gear.
Villarreal felt that they were hard done by last weekend in a 2-1 loss to local rivals Levante, a game that was decided by two penalty decisions awarded by the VAR officials overseeing the game in the Ciutat de Valencia.
The away side had taken the lead through Gerard Moreno after just two minutes but left empty handed after two penalties in five second-half minutes were converted by Roger.
The man in charge of the eye in the sky was Jesús Gil Manzano, a match official who enjoys a certain notoriety in Villarreal after taking charge of a match between the Yellow Submarine and Real Madrid in 2016-17.
Roig: "He sees yellow better than white"
The home side had taken a 2-0 lead into the second half and appeared on course for victory before Gareth Bale pulled one back for Madrid. However, it was the equalizer that incensed Villarreal, a Toni Kroos ball into the box hitting a boot and then ricocheting up onto the arm of Bruno, who certainly appeared to be trying to get out of the way. Nonetheless, Gil Manzano pointed to the spot, Cristiano Ronaldo duly dispatched the penalty and Madrid eventually prevailed 3-2 courtesy of an Álvaro Morata goal late on.
After the game, Villarreal president Fernando Roig claimed that he had seen Gil Manzano leave the stadium with Real Madrid branded bags and wondered if the official “saw yellow better than white” after noting the rebound onto Bruno’s arm had come from a teammate.
The claim about the bags was never confirmed or denied, although it was common practice at the time for referees to be given club merchandise from both sides after games.
In any case, after being denied any points by Gil Manzano’s VAR interventions last weekend, all eyes will be on the referee in the Cerámica on Sunday.