Referee Juan Martinez Munuera has been in the news because he handed Barcelona’s Vitor Roque a contentious red card against Alavés with many claiming he’s a Real Madrid fan
On matchday 23 of the Spanish League, Barcelona defeated Alavés 3-1 thanks to goals from Lewandowski, Gundogan, and Roque. With 50 points after the victory, Barcelona moved up to third place.
The referee of the match between Alavés and Barcelona, Martínez Munuera, is a Madridista, according to a report by Sport and the referee’s father is the founder of the Madridista Fan Club ‘Los Amigos’. His entire family is believed to support Real Madrid.
QUE RARO JUAN MARTINEZ MUNUERA EXPULSANDO A VITOR ROQUE pic.twitter.com/77lZa2K84o
— TERMISMO OF MERENTIEL SERRANO (@BocaYNM) February 3, 2024
However, the match was marred by controversy as Vitor Roque, who scored the winning goal and received two yellow cards in 14 minutes, was controversially sent off the field. The referee, Juan Martínez Munuera, decided that Roque’s challenge on Rafa Marín was worthy of punishment, which resulted in the red card and his expulsion.
Xavi Hernández, the coach of Barcelona, announced his intention to appeal the expulsion after expressing displeasure with the ruling. He brought attention to a perceived pattern of influence on the tournament and expressed worries about the continued impact of referee decisions on matches.
Since then, Juan Martínez Munuera has become a hot topic of discussion, with many people trying to find out more about him. So, let’s find out everything about him:
Who is Juan Martínez Munuera?
Juan Martínez Munuera is a well-known Spanish football referee. He has been in the news because he sparked controversy by handing Barcelona’s Vitor Roque a contentious red card against Alavés.
He was born on 13 July 1982 in Benidorm, Spain, and is currently 41 years old. His entire career stats can be found here.
His career
Juan Martínez Munuera began his career as a referee in 2006 and worked his way up through Segunda División B and Segunda División before joining La Liga in 2013. During his international career, he was appointed to many UEFA competitions, including the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He was first included on the FIFA referee list in 2015.
Munuera added even more experience to his resume by officiating senior international matches, the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship final, and important competitions such as the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He also worked as a video assistant referee for these events.
In addition to his prominent responsibilities in the UEFA Nations League Finals in 2019, Juan Martínez Munuera officiated the Copa del Rey Final in 2021. Due to his skills, Munuera was also hired to serve as a video assistant referee during UEFA Euro 2020.
SCANDAL IN EL CLÁSICO 🚨
After new information has emerged about referee, Juan Martinez Munuera, who awarded a highly controversial penalty in favour of Real Madrid.
Ronald Koeman is FURIOUS…🤬https://t.co/PBP3v7CMms
— TalkFCB © (@talkfcb_) October 26, 2020