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- In fact, referee Jesús Gil Manzano whistled seconds before his goal.
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The referee who sent off Jude Bellingham for dissent will miss as many games as the England midfielder after being denied a game for the second weekend running.
Jesús Gil Manzano blew his whistle moments before Bellingham scored for Real Madrid against Valencia two weeks ago. He then fired Bellingham when he protested.
Gil Manzano was not allowed to play last weekend, seven days after his controversial timeout just as Bellingham scored what would have been the game-winning goal.
This week he was expected to return from the Spanish Football Federation’s ‘fridge’, but the Spanish Technical Committee of Referees has punished Gil Manzano even more by depriving him of a match for the second consecutive week. This means his unofficial suspension coincides with Bellingham’s official two-game suspension.
Despite his reputation for being one of Spain’s best and being his country’s representative at this year’s Euro Cup, Gil Manzano was criticized for his decision to rule out Bellingham’s goal.
Jude Bellingham was handed a two-match ban after receiving a straight red card.
Jesús Gil Manzano blew his whistle just before Bellingham scored against Valencia before sending off the player for a loud protest.
The Spanish referee was left off the match list last week and faces a similar fate this time around.
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At first it only seemed to add an extra minute to added time, even though a VAR check in added time lasted almost three minutes. Then he let Madrid take a corner when that minute was up.
And, after letting them take the corner, he wasted no time after the corner was rejected, instead whistling a second before Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz crossed for Bellingham to score.
Critics said he had broken the unwritten rule of not blowing a whistle when a team is in the middle of a potential scoring situation.
Bellingham was later sent off for telling the referee: “It’s a bloody goal.” With the arrival of international football next week, Gil will have spent three weeks without refereeing before his return.
