French referee François Letexier has been the talk of the town following the first leg of the Champions League tie between Real Madrid and Manchester City.
Letexier’s decisions have been heavily criticized by Real Madrid fans and pundits alike, with many believing that he favored the visitors.
One of the most controversial moments came in the first half when Letexier showed a yellow card to Aurélien Tchouaméni for a challenge on Bernardo Silva.
Many felt that the challenge was not worthy of a yellow card, and that Letexier was setting a dangerous precedent for the rest of the match.
Letexier then further angered Real Madrid fans when he failed to send off Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji for a clear handball.
Akanji’s handball denied Real Madrid a clear goalscoring opportunity, and many felt that he should have been sent off for the offense.
However, former Spanish referee Iturralde González has defended Letexier’s decisions.
González, who now works as a pundit for Cadena SER, said that he did not believe that either of the challenges were worthy of a yellow card.
González’s comments have unsurprisingly sparked controversy, with many Real Madrid fans accusing him of bias.
It is not the first time that González has been accused of bias towards Real Madrid, and his comments are sure to further fuel the debate over refereeing in the Champions League.
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