Mr. Jesús Gil Manzano will not be able to whistle in round 29 of La Liga taking place this weekend.

This is also the second consecutive round that the 40-year-old referee has not assigned duties in Spain’s highest tournament. AS newspaper said that Mr. Manzano was punished for making mistakes while controlling recent matches.

Specifically, in Valencia’s 2-2 draw with Real Madrid at Mestalla Stadium on March 3, Mr. Manzano made a controversial decision, refusing to recognize the away team’s goal.

At minute 90+9, Jude Bellingham headed home, but the final score was still 2-2, because referee Manzano blew the whistle to end the match a few seconds right before the English midfielder’s shot. Real Madrid players surrounded the “black shirt king” of La Liga, demanding that he clearly explain the goal denial.

Referee Manzano caused controversy in Valencia’s 2-2 draw with Real Madrid on March 3.

The match’s extra time was given by the referee to be 7 minutes, but Mr. Manzano took at least nearly two minutes to check VAR and review the situation where the Valencia player fell in the penalty area before. It is worth mentioning that Mr. Manzano blew the whistle while the ball was still in play, at the time the Real Madrid player dribbled the ball and was about to cross for Bellingham to score.

Normally, referees will let the ball run out before blowing the whistle, especially when extra time in this match is reasonable.

The 40-year-old referee’s decision faced backlash from Real Madrid players. Angered by referee Manzano’s decision, Bellingham had harsh words aimed at the “king in black”, leading to a red card.

Jesús Gil Manzano is one of Spain’s leading referees, qualified by FIFA since 2014. This referee has refereed several matches in the group stage and quarterfinals of Copa America 2021.