The multi-million-dollar bill for refereeing errors against Espanyol

BarcelonaFew teams can feel more legitimized in their refereeing protests than Espanyol. The blue and whites revived in Son Moix one déjà vu that carried them into the 2022-23 season, in which a series of unfortunate and controversial refereeing decisions pushed them down to the Second Division. After expressing their "deep concern" over a series of refereeing decisions made at the request of the VAR, the Espanyol club has decided to lodge its complaint with the RFEF, which has assured that it will study the case.

"The refereeing decisions made leave us with a feeling of helplessness and frustration in the face of resolutions that we consider difficult to understand," the club said in a statement after the match. Neither Quintero González, from the pitch, nor Del Cerro Grande, from the VAR, warned of a penalty by Mojica on Jofre. However, they did see a slight push by Cabrera on Abdón, which fell short of a cross, and also how Cheddira, who had one foot on the edge of the area at the time of the penalty, ended up accidentally touching the ball despite being still and upright. In no case did it prevent the goal or a Mallorcan player from creating a dangerous shot, as the rules dictate in this type of action, since the ball was heading towards a teammate, Král.

"I've never seen what happened in my life. If I say what I think, maybe I won't coach again," lamented Manolo González after the match. "This isn't football; we're losing the essence. I wonder if this would have been done to any other team other than Espanyol. Enough already," complained sporting director Fran Garagarza. Surprisingly, this season, VAR didn't order two missed penalties against Las Palmas to be retaken, in which different players from the Canary Islands team blocked the ball despite having stepped into the box at the time of the shot.

This isn't the first time Del Cerro Grande has stirred up Espanyol's spirits. The Blue and Whites, in fact, have lost all seven matches in which the former Madrid police officer has been in charge of the VAR. On the penultimate matchday of the 2022-23 season, he also helped sign one of the most controversial arbitrations in modern history of the League: he disallowed a legitimate goal by César Montes, swallowed a previous foul on Valencia's equalizer and ignored a clear penalty on Braithwaite in added time. Espanyol were mathematically relegated from Mestalla in a match they would have won had they received fair refereeing. That match, incidentally, was officiated by Gil Manzano, who in February had ignored a clear prior foul on Osasuna's goal in the draw at the RCDE Stadium. Also controversial was the last visit of Espanyol's next opponent in La Liga, Atlético de Madrid. VAR confirmed that the ball had crossed the line, but months later a court ruled that Images showing that it had not entered completely had been omitted.

The third relegation in six seasons, a hard sentence to swallow

That season, Espanyol fell four points short of safety. Except for the 2019-20 season, in the four previous relegations, they fell between one and three points short of survival. In other words, Espanyol is fully aware that the gap between remaining in the First Division and falling into hell is minimal, and that every point is precious in the fight for survival. Relegation is not only crucial from a social and sporting perspective, but also an economic one: in the 2020-21 season, Espanyol earned €52 million less in the Second Division than in the previous season in the top flight. In 2023-24, the drop was more than €38 million because the relegation compensation was lower. And it would be even smaller in the event of a hypothetical relegation this summer, as it would be the third in the last six seasons. A bill that Espanyol cannot afford to pay again.