Martinez Munuera criticised for stopping Sevilla attack during Barcelona match

Referee Martinez Munuera was accused of making a serious error during Barcelona’s La Liga meeting with Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Saturday.

The incident occurred in the second half after Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen suffered a muscular injury. Play was stopped in the 59th minute, with Christensen leaving the pitch and Gerard Martin coming on as his replacement.

Archivo VAR, an account that analyses controversial refereeing decisions, said the decision benefited Barcelona by bringing an emerging Sevilla attack to an early end.

“Martinez Munuera stopped the match when Sevilla were beginning a promising attack after Christensen suffered a muscular injury,” the account said.

It also criticised the referee’s position during the incident, arguing that it affected his view of the play.

“The referee’s poor positioning during Sevilla’s attack prevented him from seeing Correia’s run,” Archivo VAR added.

The match was part of the seventh round of the La Liga season.