Sevilla-Barca ref: I’m relaxed

Mateu Lahoz, who refereed the Sevilla-Barcelona clash at the weekend, says he is relaxed about the sending-off of Gary Medel.

The Sevilla player was dismissed on 72 minutes after aiming an apparent head butt at Cesc Fabregas in the 3-2 defeat, yet Lahoz has been the target of criticism in the Andalusian capital with some fans believing the Barca player deliberately got him sent off.

However, when tracked down by newspaper ABC, Lahoz insisted he was unconcerned about the matter and that he was not allowed to comment as the incident had been included in his match report.

“I know they [Sevilla] are upset but I assure you I am relaxed about it. Medel’s red card? What do you want me to tell you?

“I cannot say anything about the technical aspects of the game. It’s an issue that has already gone. What I think I’ve already put in my report,” explained Lahoz.

Acknowledging the fact that the referee’s technical committee could sanction him if it found he had made a mistake, the 35-year-old was blunt.

“Am I afraid they will punish me? Look, I’m telling you now that we can’t talk about these kind of things. I hope you understand me.”

Tags Fabregas Lahoz Medel
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