Spanish professional football coaches are angry at the treatment they receive from referees. Carlo Ancelotti, convened this Tuesday morning by the coaching committee of the Spanish Football Federation in the football city of Las Rozas, was the first to speak in the question and answer session in which he discussed the union’s grievances towards the members and also their discomfort about the failure to answer the question – payments that many of them suffer when they are laid off.
The Real Madrid coach assured that the referees did not respect the coaches and, moreover, that they were the main victims of their decisions, since they directly affected their work.
Ancelotti’s words were supported by Quique Setién, who pointed out the importance of the coach of a club like Real Madrid demanding better treatment of the group.
Ancelotti did not stay for the subsequent meeting with the referees because he had scheduled an afternoon training session. Diego Pablo Simeone did the same, who also had to lead a training session at six in the afternoon. “It’s chaos, they don’t understand the coaches,” said Ancelotti at the end of the demanding meeting.
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Coaches feel a lot of scrutiny from coaches as they do their technical work under the tension of games. UEFA has ordered coaches to be open following José Mourinho’s performance and statements in the last Europa League final, which Roma lost to Sevilla on penalties. The Portuguese coach first explained that “the referee looked Spanish and we are going home dead because of an injustice,” and then waited for the referee in the stadium parking lot.
Technicians also feel compelled at press conferences. They often do not dare to comment on arbitration proceedings for fear of sanctions. “I don’t have freedom of expression when I talk about the referees because if I say what I think they will suspend me and I want to work and then I take advantage of the emotions that the games give me.” In this sense it says “I’m not at liberty to answer questions,” said Ancelotti three weeks ago during the press conference between Braga and Real Madrid. A day later, Xavi Hernández supported him. “That’s right. If we talk about the referees, you get a sanction, that’s reality,” said the Barcelona coach.
The coaches have joined the footballers’ complaints, which is reflected in the attempt by the union (AFE) to force the association to change its disciplinary code, which clearly attacks “the player’s freedom of expression”.
This matter was discussed later when the arbitrators joined the meeting led by their president Medina Cantalejo. He accepted greater communication between both groups and even accepted that a coach would visit the referee’s locker room at the end of a game if he did so in good manners. Of course, Medina Cantalejo warned that just as no coach has been punished for saying that a referee made a mistake, anyone who accuses a referee that his mistakes were deliberate and premeditated will be reported to the federation’s disciplinary authorities. Both parties committed to establishing a joint working group to achieve greater empathy.
The other big demand from the coaches was non-payment. Against this background, Xavi, who admitted that he attended the meeting to complain about the numerous press conferences they had to hold, called for collective action. The need to include a minimum wage in the next agreement was also put on the table. There were coaches in the second division who argued that in their case the lack of respect from the referees was due to the fact that they earned more than many of them.
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