The referee who sent off Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham for cursing at him has denounced what he called a false accusation by local media, one that led to him being temporarily sidelined by the Spanish football federation.
The federation said Tuesday that José Luis Munuera would not be named to referee games until it concludes its analysis of a report by online newspaper El Espanol that alleged Munuera had business relations with “officials” in the Spanish league.
The focus of the report is Talentus Sports Speakers, a company that Munuera participates in, which offers motivational talks by sports figures.
Munuera responded to the media report with a statement saying that Talentus Sports Speakers “has never invoiced any quantity from any sporting institution, whether it be a club, a federation or a company linked to sports.”
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He added that he would take legal action against media outlets that have “intentionally or due to negligence spread false or incorrect information” about him or the refereeing profession.
La Liga president Javier Tebas backed the decision by the federation while saying that his league has no business dealings with Munuera or Talentus Sports Speakers. Tebas told reporters that the league had received services in the past from a different company which is co-owned by a former league employee who also participates in Talentus Sports Speakers.
In an interview with Spanish radio Cope, Munuera insisted that he would demonstrate to the federation that he had never been paid by a sports body. He added that he had been giving talks on sports for years before helping create the company last year.
The attention paid to Munuera’s business activities came just days after he became the main talking point for Spanish football media and Real Madrid fans following his sending off of Bellingham for having used an English expletive while protesting his refereeing in a 1-1 draw at Osasuna in La Liga.
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Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti and Bellingham said after Saturday’s game in Pamplona that Munuera had erred in his decision to show a red card to the England midfielder. The fresh complaints by Madrid came two weeks after the club had issued a scathing attack on Spain’s referees which it claimed were systematically favouring opponents of the record 36-time champion.
Before he had come under scrutiny, the federation issued a statement on Monday denouncing the “attacks and threats” that Munuera had received on social media after sending Bellingham off.
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com