“Not the first time he’s done it” - Barcelona legend Gerard Pique agrees with Real Madrid’s outrage over referee Gil Manzano

Barcelona legend Gerard Pique voiced his opinion in support of Real Madrid's outrage over Spanish referee Gil Manzano's blowing of the full-time whistle just seconds before the team scored against Valencia in their latest La Liga fixture.

With the game tied at 2-2 in the 9th minute of second half injury time, Real midfielder Brahim Diaz whipped a cross into an arriving Jude Bellingham, who nodded it into the far corner.

However, Manzano controversially blew for full-time right when the cross was about to be played in, nullifying the goal and ending the match in a draw. Furious Real Madrid players surrounded the referee and pleaded their case, but to no avail.

In the aftermath of the passionate outpouring of emotions from the Real Madrid players, Jude Bellingham was shown a straight red card for excessive aggression. Although Real are expected to appeal the decision to get the suspension rescinded, he is likely to miss their next La Liga fixture against Celta Vigo.

Pique joined in the chorus of pundits and fans calling Manzano's actions unprofessional and unsportsmanlike. Talking to Spanish entertainer Ibai Llanos on his stream, the legendary ex-Barca centre-back was quoted saying:

“It is not the first time he has done it. I understand that Madrid can complain, it should have been whistled a lot earlier, it's not bad, but it's late. Whistling just when you're focusing doesn't make any sense.”

Pique has also called out Manzano for his refereeing decisions in the past. Back in 2017, he compared Manzano's decisions in Real Madrid's game against Villarreal to some opposing decisions he made against Barcelona in similar situations. The caption to the post read:

"[Bad officiating caused an]eight-point difference against these two teams. Screenshots are from Madrid-based media,"

Banned Italian referee set to take charge for Real Madrid's clash against RB Leipzig

Real Madrid will be taking on German side RB Leipzig at the Santiago Bernabeu in the return leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 fixture on March 6. They hold a narrow 1-0 advantage after the first leg.

After the refereeing controversy with Gil Manzano in La Liga, Real find themselves in another sticky situation. Football Italia have reported that Marco di Bello will be taking charge as the fourth official for the game.

In Lazio's recent match against AC Milan in the Serie A that finished 1-0 to the Rossoneri, three red cards and a whole host of controversial decisions were attributed to Di Bello. He was subsequently banned from competitive action for a month, and is reportedly only expected to be assigned to the Serie B upon his return.

However, the ban does not extend to the Champions League, and Di Bello is set to feature in the refereeing team for Real Madrid's crucial fixture against Leipzig. However, Di Bello will likely not make much of a difference on proceedings if the main official, fellow Italian Davide Massa, stays fit throughout the game.