Euro 2024: UEFA Sacks Two Spanish Referees Over Poor Officiating

UEFA has sacked two Spanish referees following a series of complaints received from teams and major stakeholders regarding their officiating at the ongoing Euro 2024.

As reported by the UK Metro, the referees in question are Alejandro Hernandez and Jesus Gil Manzano.

Hernandez, who served as the VAR official, faced criticism for overlooking Scotland’s penalty appeal in their 1-0 loss to Hungary.

On the other hand, Manzano was under fire for a mistake made during France’s 1-0 victory over Austria.

Both referees will not be involved in the upcoming knockout stages of the tournament.

Additionally, Manzano’s assistants, Diego Barbero and Angel Nevado, have also been dismissed.

Consequently, Martinez Munuera, another VAR official, remains the only Spanish representative for the remainder of Euro 2024.

There Is No Favorable Side Of Euro 2024 Draw – Says Marc Guehi

Meanwhile, England defender, Marc Guéhi, has insisted “there is no favorable side of the draw” after England avoided France, Spain, Germany, and Portugal in their potential route to the Euro 2024 final.

Gareth Southgate’s team will take on Slovakia in Sunday’s round-of-16 match in Gelsenkirchen after securing the top spot in Group C, despite delivering three lacklustre performances so far.

Among the teams remaining in the competition, Slovakia (No. 48) has the second-lowest FIFA ranking, with only Georgia (No. 74) below them.

England is now ensured to avoid facing two in-form teams, Spain and Germany, or perennial contenders like France until the final match in Berlin on July 14.

Asked for his views on England’s draw, Guéhi told a news conference: “About the draw, I think everyone has seen in this competition that I don’t think there is a favourable side of the draw.

“Every team, every opponent that you come up against, is really tough to play against. But I think we just need to remain calm. That’s the environment we set ourselves. We put pressure on ourselves but it is a calm and focused environment and we just need to focus on one thing at a time.

“We haven’t done any team analysis on them [Slovakia], but we all watch the games and we know they are a really good side. They came third in the group and qualified. They have got some really good players in their side [Stanislav], Lobotka being one, the obvious one from Napoli but a lot of good players.

“It is going to be another tough challenge to deal with. We just have to be ready for those challenges and match whatever intensity they bring. What builds confidence is togetherness, performances, and the fact we haven’t lost a game yet, which I think is important.

“All the other things we can’t control. I think it is just important that we just control what we can control that’s remaining calm, focused, and dealing with whatever obstacles are in front of us.”