In the aftermath of Barcelona’s controversial 1-1 draw against Las Palmas last night, referee Mateu Lahoz’s performance was subject to a lot of criticism from La Blaugrana players and staff, the press and even a former Spanish football official, Eduardo Iturralde González.
Speaking on La Cadena SER, Iturralde lambasted his former colleague and said that his decision not to send La Union Deportiva goalkeeper Leandro Chichizola off when he touched the ball with his hands outside the penalty box was farcical. Luis Suárez was through on goal and would have had an easy chance to score. It was a clear red card.
Meanwhile, Iturralde also backed Ernesto Valverde’s claims that the Gran Canaria side should not have been awarded a penalty. He called several other incidents into question, saying Lahoz had endured a very bad night at the office – that would probably have to be classed as an understatement.