Back in October, Girona defender David Lopez hit out at referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias during the victory over Almeria at Montilivi. Lopez claimed that Ortiz Arias showed “arrogant and insulting behaviour” during the first half of the match, although he would later retract and apologise for these remarks.
Despite this, a second player has now come forward with similar accusations against Ortiz Arias. That player is Sergio Ramos, who was shown a red card by the referee during Sevilla’s defeat to Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Speaking to the media ahead of Sevilla’s Champions League encounter with PSV Eindhoven (via Diario AS), Ramos accused Ortiz Arias of being arrogant during the match at the Reale Arena.
“Referees can also make mistakes, like us. In the past, they were put in the fridge when they made wrong decisions. We’re here to help. The referee the other day (Ortiz Arias) is a distant person who speaks with an out-of-place arrogance being a referee, and we don’t like that.
“Referees must set an example. More than one player has commented on it, that you find words out of place. Even if you have that position, we should all maintain the utmost respect. We can make mistakes, but above all, there must be respect.”
Ramos also addressed his dismissal against La Real. He was originally shown a second yellow card, before the decision was upgraded to a straight red card by VAR, meaning that a multiple game suspension could be on the cards.
“It’s a play in a danger zone, defenders are always in that space. You have to take a chance. I took the ball and then caught Brais (Mendez). For me, the straight red card is excessive, I think it had to be yellow. It’s normal for the club to appeal. There is a timing that the referee must understand but he must make mistakes like us. I don’t know if they’ll take it away from me, but I want it to be just one game and I’ll be with the team soon.”
It remains to be seen whether the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) respond to Ramos’ claims, as they did when Lopez made similar accusations. It could be that Sevilla are without one of their key players for even further if action is taken in this regard.
