The Technical Referees Committee (CTA) has criticised referee Juan Martínez Munuera's handling of the stoppage for Andreas Christensen's injury during last Saturday's match between Sevilla and Barcelona. The game, which ended in a 1-3 home defeat, was paused in the 55th minute following a tussle between the Barcelona defender and Sevilla's Robbie Ure.
Ramón Fuentes explained the analysis of the incident on the educational programme 'Tiempo de Revisión'. "One of the plays analysed in 'Tiempo de Revisión', an educational audiovisual programme created by the Technical Referees Committee (CTA) of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) which analyses controversial plays from each matchday to provide transparency and explain the refereeing criteria applied, this Tuesday referred to the Sevilla-Barcelona match last Saturday at the Sánchez Pizjuán," he said.
The committee concluded that Martínez Munuera did not get the timing of the stoppage right. According to their assessment, the referee focused too much on the injured player and lost the broader context of the action. The official recommendation states he should have stopped the match before the injury occurred or, failing that, waited for Sevilla's possession and attack to reach its natural conclusion.
The defeat against the league leaders leaves Sevilla in fifth place in La Liga, with 13 points after seven matchdays. Quique Sánchez Flores's side sits eight points behind Barcelona. In that match, Youssouf Fofana put the hosts ahead in the 19th minute, but a hat-trick from Raphinha turned the scoreline around.
Sevilla now head into the international break with a record of two wins, one draw and two defeats in their last five outings. Their next league challenge is a visit to Levante, who occupy 17th place, on October 12th. The confirmed absence for that match is Rubén Vargas.
The report in full is at Mundo Deportivo
