Real Madrid win sparks debate over Konate handball and Huijsen challenge

Real Madrid’s 3-2 victory at Elche in La Liga on Tuesday was followed by scrutiny of several refereeing decisions made by Jesus Gil Manzano.

The visitors secured three valuable points when Carlos Espi scored the winning goal in stoppage time, but Gil Manzano’s handling of a number of incidents became a major talking point after an eventful match.

Elche appealed for a penalty in the 48th minute after the ball struck Konate’s arm following a shot from German Valera. Gil Manzano immediately decided there had been no offence.

Spanish refereeing outlet Archivo VAR agreed with the decision, asking: “Was Konate’s handball in Elche v Real Madrid worthy of a penalty? The answer is no.”

It explained: “The French defender changes the ball’s direction with his elbow towards a corner, with his arm close to his body and in a completely natural position. It is a handball that is a long way from being considered punishable.”

There were further complaints late in the game, with Real Madrid players claiming that Elche’s Osorio had caught Dean Huijsen in the face with an elbow. They also protested about a challenge by Dos Valera on Cucurella’s ankle, but neither incident resulted in action from the referee.

Archivo VAR said Osorio’s challenge did not warrant a straight red card.

“Although the striker takes a risk with the challenge, he does not open his arm or make an obvious movement with it, so it is not classified as an assault or violent conduct,” the outlet said.

However, it criticised Gil Manzano for failing to show even a yellow card.

“Gil Manzano did not show a yellow card either, and he should have done so,” it added.

Gil Manzano given low rating

Archivo VAR strongly criticised the referee on its official website, awarding him a rating of only three out of 10.

Its assessment said: “A resounding failure by Gil Manzano after a very poor refereeing performance in Elche v Real Madrid. Although he did not make major errors requiring intervention from video assistant referee (VAR), he made numerous judgement errors and repeatedly failed to show a yellow card to Tete Morente, who escaped punishment for reasons that are difficult to understand.”

The outlet also said Gil Manzano should have cautioned Osorio for an earlier challenge on Huijsen, which it described as close to being an assault, and Chust for a forceful challenge on Arda Guler.

“His challenge was not a direct collision. He was lucky; if there had been full contact, it would have been a straight red card,” Archivo VAR said.

It added that the referee did not even award a foul for the incident and “simply was not up to the task”, despite the match not demanding a great deal from him. The outlet claimed Gil Manzano had begun to lose the confidence of senior referees, a trend it said started last season.

On the two main controversies, Archivo VAR concluded that Osorio’s challenge was not violent conduct because there had been no actual elbow movement, but it still clearly warranted a yellow card. Konate’s handball appeal, meanwhile, was described as having no basis because his arm was close to his body and in a natural position.