Hoy Te Favorecen, Mañana Te Perjudican

Being a futbol referee isn't easy. In fact, it has to be considered one of the most thankless tasks in all of sport. There are not many sports in this world of ours where a newspaper will grade out not only the players after a game, but also the referees. Spanish Daily Marca takes it upon themselves to grade out players on a scale of 10 as to their performance during a game. Many times a Messi or Villa or Robben can grade out 9/10 or even 10/10. Referees? An 8/10 is all but unheard of. The norm usually settles in the neighborhood of 4/10 to 6/10. Consequently, the ire of fans in La Liga and La Segunda Division who see their teams as having games 'stolen' from them are directed towards the lonely 'arbitros.' One in particular is the quirky Mejuto Gonzalez who immortalized himself back in 1996 during a Zaragoza-Barcelona game when he was heard on camera chatting with his linesman during a controversial red card and penalty call. Mejuto was heard to ask his linesman, "Vaya Rafa, no me jodas! Expulsion de quien?" Which roughly translates to, "C'mon Rafa! Don't f*** with me. Expulsion of whom?" Since then, Mejuto has always been viewed in a different light by fans and media.

This obsession with referees brings us to this week's topic. Apparently, Real Sociedad believes that they have had 13 points stolen from them due to poor refereeing. This was blown up over the course of this week in the aftermath of the last minute tie gained by Zaragoza against Real Sociedad at the Anoeta. The San Sebastian side claims a PK was wrongly called in favor of zaragoza which was converted and the Realistas were left to ponder the disappearance of another two points. Well, someone wasn't gonna take anymore of this and that person was Real Sociedad President Jokin Aperriba who appealed to the Comité Técnico de Arbitros (CTA) to end disgraceful trend of referee mistakes directed towards his club. More importantly, the Basque side has reiterated that these 13 points have clearly cost them 1st place in La Segunda Division and an all but assured promotion back to La Primera.

Tap the brakes there. Granted, it's true that Real Sociedad has been on the wrong end of a couple late PK calls which have resulted in the loss of points. But don't think for a minute some of their opponents have thought the same thoughts after a defeat at the hands of Real Sociedad. My point is that in sports like futbol, basketball, baseball and American Football, I find it utterly pointless to complain about the referees. In the end, the play speaks for themselves and the number of calls going for and against normally end up 50/50. My advice to Real Sociedad, to quote Su Majestad El Rey Don Juan Carlos II, "Por que no te callas?" Get on the field, play well and score enough goals to ensure that a referee error does not greatly impact the game.

In a sign of solidarity, this week's Team of the Week is the RFEF, Real Federacion Espanola de Futbol, the organization who backs the Spanish Referees.

Jornada 23- Resultados
Albacete - Xerez 0-2
Celta - Castellón 1-2
Rayo - Hércules 1-0
R. Sociedad - Zaragoza 1-1
Salamanca - Sevilla At 6-0
Tenerife - Eibar 2-0
Levante - Murcia 2-1
Huesca - Gimnástic 3-2
Elche - Las Palmas 1-1
Córdoba - Alavés 3-0
Alicante - Girona 1-1

Clasificacion

1. Xerez - 43
2. Tenerife - 40
3. Zaragoza - 37
4. Salamanca - 37
5. Castellón - 37
6. Rayo - 37
7. Hércules - 36
8. R. Sociedad - 36
9. Levante - 35
10. Huesca - 33
11. Girona - 33
12. Celta - 32
13. Gimnástic - 30
14. Elche - 30
15. Las Palmas - 28
16. Albacete - 28
17. Murcia - 28
18. Córdoba - 24
19. Alavés - 24
20. Eibar - 21
21. Alicante - 16
22. Sevilla At. - 10