Fans of the Premier League often wrongly insist that the officiating in the league is much worse than elsewhere in Europe. Indeed, the drama seen in Spanish football on a relatively frequent basis is much more than happens even with media related to the English top flight.
Sometimes that drama is motivated by questionable decisions on the pitch, sometimes it’s related to clubs complaining, and then occasionally there’s a whole new level of drama. Manchester City and Aston Villa have now been dragged into the latest episode of the latter.
As reported by Wednesday’s edition of Marca, José Luis Munuera Montero has been removed from matches by Spain’s CTA (referee body) and pulled away from being involved in a UEFA game this Thursday.
This issue is that Munuera Montero is listed as the owner of a company named Talentus Sport, and that’s brought up a conflict of interest possibility.
As reported by Marca: ‘The aforementioned company, Talentus, supposedly has professional relations with La Liga, UEFA, the Federation and clubs such as Manchester City, Aston Villa or PSG, something incompatible with the code of ethics of referees and managers.’
There’s no clarity on what these connections are, or potentially what advice has been given to those named, and there’s no indication of any wrongdoing by Manchester City or Aston Villa.
