Real Mallorca travel to Vitoria, the capital of the Basque country, where they’ll play ex Mallorca boss Luis Garcia Plaza’s Alaves side tomorrow (Saturday) at 6.30pm. The Mendizorroza stadium is a tough place to get a result so I’ll settle for a draw. Alaves lie five points above us in 12th place with 28 points.
Mallorca fans are furious after our 1-2 defeat by Real Sociedad last Saturday. The main cause of the defeat was the disastrous performance from match referee Gonzalez Fuertes who, among other acts of conspicuous bias, failed to notice (or act on) two clear fouls against us.
On the day, fans were holding a minute’s silence in memory of our esteemed ex president Bartolome Beltran, when the referee decided to stop the minute’s silence after just 29 seconds. Supporters club Moviment Mallorquinistas stated that the referee had been disrespectful towards the club and the much-loved former president.
During and after the game, the Asturian whistle-blower showed 14 yellow cards and four red cards (he also booked a couple of low-flying rogue seagulls on the prowl for chips!). Both Sociedad’s goals were conceived after clear fouls had been committed on Muriqi.
What’s really upsetting the fans is the choice of referees we’re getting this season and there are suggestions of a conspiracy against the club. There’s clearly something not right and here’s the proof. Gonzalez Fuertes and another plonker called Figueroa Vazquez have officiated at Mallorca games disproportionately on 10 occasions against Basque sides (Real Sociedad, Ath. Bilbao and Alaves).
We’ve won none of these games! In total these two guys have whistled against Mallorca in 21 games since 2019. Results are well out of order with one victory (3-1 against Celta Vigo), six draws and 14 defeats!!
There are 18 referees on the La Liga rota. Two are from the Balearics so they don’t count. 11 of them have officiated at a game in Palma and two of them are FIFA referees. The other five are classed as “Elite” and none of them has even got on a Palma-bound plane in the line of duty. Two referees on the list stand out as “next to useless” and they are Figueroa Vazquez and Gonzalez Fuertes, who have been in charge of four games each in Palma.
Gonzalez Fuertes’ performance last Saturday verged on the unbelievable and it ignited both the players and the crowd.
He punished the Palma side with a flurry of cards, sending off our captain and longest-serving player Antonio Raillo. We have a serious problem with Raillo who’s now seen eight red cards since his arrival in 2016. He’s a great defender but seems incapable of measuring the consequences of his actions and must learn to control his emotions in the face of unjust decisions by a referee, which inevitably leads to his dismissal, thereby letting down the team and the fans.
He was given a one-game suspension and will miss Saturday’s game. Playing an under-strength Sociedad side who are in the knockout stages of the Champions League with 11 men was going to be hard enough, but to do it with 10 was nigh on impossible.
Things really got out of hand at half time when the referee was spat on as he walked into the tunnel. The incident went viral on social media and the culprit (a young man in the VIP area) was led away by security. It’s one thing venting your disapproval but to spit on him was bang out of order. The club will receive a fine for this young man’s foolishness.
It was reported midweek that Mallorca wouldn’t complain about the referee’s actions, which has upset large swathes of already-indignant supporters. The club’s decision to opt for silence hasn’t gone down well at all. They demanded measures to be asked for regarding the referee’s performance.
Supporters clubs wanted an institutional figure to shout out and defend the club. The club’s view seems to be that a complaint or an appeal could only make the situation worse. Other sides starting with Real Madrid do openly speak out when they consider themselves harmed, as appeasement can be seen as encouragement for officials to become even more emboldened.
Social media on Wednesday called out club president Andy Kohlberg as being too soft and that the hierarchy are scared there will be even worse repercussions from Madrid if Mallorca rock the boat. Señor Gonzalez is a card-happy crusader, who follows up every detail confronting players selectively when he feels like it and then finds himself out of his depth. On Saturday he lost control of the game at the end.
Referees in Spanish football this season have been the subject of much controversy. There seems to be a general disconnection between officials and players that is growing wider as time goes by and it’s us fans who once again have to suffer the consequences. These referees have to realise the fans don’t just pay big bucks to see them prancing around stopping the flow of the game every few minutes. Players, even with all their off-the-ball shenanigans, must be allowed to exhibit their talents without interference.
Mallorca play Sociedad again in San Sebastian on Tuesday in the second leg of the Copa Del Rey semifinal at 9:30pm. The game is on local TV channel IB3. We want revenge for Saturday’s defeat and the 0-0 draw in the first leg sets it up nicely. Can Mallorca make it into their fourth final in their 108-year existence ? Of course they can!