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valid for item of equal or lesser value. Hello!

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Everyone and welcome to this week's edition

0:25

of the Spanish report Cross with me

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feel keeps really days and my friend

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doctor said hello hello Sydney how I

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feel how you I'm good thank you

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How are you not about things at

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We're Recovery or. Enjoying. The

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fallout from the Spanish Super Cop which

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took place over the past few days

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The Find That which was played in

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Riyadh. Saudi. Arabia. For

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more on that listen to a bonus

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podcast and which was over. a patron

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to come forward/to Sfp on Friday we

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discussed the sensitivities of holding it in

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Saudi Arabia. We're not going to do

0:58

that now because we're going to talk

1:00

about the actual football. Which

1:02

so round Madrid beat Barcelona by four

1:04

goals to one in an extraordinarily one

1:07

sided game. Will then talk about much

1:09

day twenty into league it because there

1:11

were several matches which took place in

1:13

the Spanish Top flight and will also

1:15

talk about if we got time. The.

1:18

Fact that Vol Audio was released for

1:20

the first time and the latest on

1:22

the Nigger data case. There was some

1:24

more leaks of from my last week's

1:26

had lots for us to get through

1:28

Sydney. If we don't talk about what

1:30

you want us to talk about, send

1:32

us a question and will talk about

1:34

it. Will try to answer it on

1:36

our Q and A podcast which will

1:38

can be out tomorrow for patrons. Remember

1:40

patron.com forward/to us Fp: It's about four

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Euros a month and it's pretty good

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value. You get loads of extra Spanish

1:47

football content raw. Budget for Barcelona one

1:49

I rummaged would tune it up inside

1:51

ten minutes. Sits beneath us. Would have

1:53

first half Hatrick it was. Extraordinarily

1:56

comfortable for L. Madrid?

1:58

Yes, Yeah. i really was Surprisingly,

2:01

so I think obviously once

2:03

Madrid had taken a two goal

2:06

lead you felt that it was quite

2:08

likely to be comfortable because not just of the lead

2:10

itself but the nature of the two teams, the way

2:12

in which they play, the qualities that they have and

2:14

Madrid's willingness to allow Barcelona to have the ball in

2:16

certain areas of the pitch and know that they can

2:18

still catch them on the break

2:21

because they're so much quicker a team

2:23

and so much more athletic a team which is

2:25

not to reduce it only to speed and athleticism

2:27

because of course there's a huge amount of quality

2:29

as well. When

2:32

Barcelona scored, when Levan Dosti scored perhaps there was half

2:34

a chance and of course we talked endlessly

2:36

this season about Barcelona's ability to,

2:39

or their failings in other words that

2:41

they can see the lot of early goals that

2:43

they tend to turn them around but those games

2:45

weren't against Real Madrid, a team that's good and

2:47

yesterday they didn't really ever find a way to

2:49

get themselves back into the game. There are a

2:51

couple of chances in the second

2:53

half, there's a France or as one that's saved

2:55

and there's obviously the Pedri shot that goes just

2:58

past the post a little bit before

3:00

half time but I think fundamentally this was a

3:02

game that really once those first

3:04

two goals ago gone in, maybe even once the first

3:06

had gone in never felt like it was ever going

3:08

to go any other way. No

3:11

it didn't and you mentioned once again

3:13

Barcelona conceding early on which is something

3:15

that they have done consistently throughout

3:18

the season. We've spoken about the

3:20

statistic where if matches

3:23

lasted 45 minutes in

3:26

La Liga Barcelona would

3:29

be 15th in the table, obviously they

3:31

don't but that just gives you an idea of

3:33

how poor they've been in the first half of

3:35

games. There's also this extraordinary stat, which we saw

3:37

on Twitter there so you're pointing

3:39

this out. 19 matches

3:41

Barcelona played in La Liga, they've been

3:43

ahead after 75 minutes

3:45

in three of those games. It's

3:48

really quite extraordinary how they've managed to pull it

3:50

out of the bag at the end and I

3:52

guess that kind of ties in with the feeling

3:55

we have about Barcelona both on

3:57

and off the pitch. It feels like

3:59

they're teetering. On the precipice just

4:01

about putting things often, just about getting

4:03

it's over the line and at managing

4:05

to win games where they didn't really

4:07

convincing managing to make the signings by

4:10

selling something off. It just doesn't feel

4:12

very comfortable for Barcelona tour and it

4:14

feels him in stark contrast around the

4:16

dude. I don't know if I'm reading

4:18

too much into this may be given

4:21

more sort of nuanced view, but it

4:23

does feel like real Madrid auction site,

4:25

the polar opposite of Barcelona both on

4:27

and off the pitch, institutionally the Us.

4:29

so. Much more balanced. So much so

4:32

much so much calmer around and asks

4:34

Osu like was seeing that reflected on

4:36

the pitch. I don't know. maybe that's

4:38

us as a simplistic countries Now I

4:40

think it's the I think his that

4:42

absolutely right one nine one one way

4:44

of looking at this would this would

4:47

be to say that Ramage it I'm

4:49

prompted law school swaths of season is

4:51

a goalkeeper and is difference and we

4:53

can argue And indeed we have argued

4:55

about whether kappa is a is a

4:57

decent alternative but a sign and pretty

5:00

quickly. And with very little fuss they've

5:02

had injuries are at centre backs at a

5:04

many towel and then and of course recently

5:06

you've you've had done it. Oliver get injured

5:08

as well. I'm afraid of than nothing. And.

5:11

The hasn't been a sense of panic now

5:13

a it's true that it would be. I'm

5:16

i think over opportunistic of meat say that to

5:18

says it's great when maybe in a month on

5:20

I'll be saying they really should have more sense

5:22

but as badly portable but just that sense that

5:24

it's okay. So. right? It's okay,

5:26

we're not. We're not on the edge, we're

5:29

not about to fall when not. Yeah, we're

5:31

not panicking about this and or worse Barcelona

5:33

A feels almost by the up to a

5:35

off and the my amazing sadistic hundred and

5:37

bring out now because I always have really

5:39

trouble is I hadn't fully fourth of July

5:42

This a loss is Super Cup final. Unfair.

5:45

My the concepts to this. Is.

5:47

The boss honor the team of these two with

5:49

no money. No matter, don't have a huge amount

5:51

of money or think we've We need to be

5:54

clear about this. but they had the money to

5:56

buy the place they wanted suits and allegra. Hundred

5:58

million years of Bellingham others been. I think it

6:00

was sad eighty million there's on so many ah

6:03

they they signed the players that they felt that

6:05

they needed side but his last year's final. of

6:07

the fifteen players the Ancelotti use last year twelve

6:09

of the missed in the squad. I'm

6:12

trying to think through the free the on our bench.

6:14

the Mars one of them I can't think of. The

6:16

other two are a must. I must be missing Alice.

6:18

Been missing them of the seven seen players that savvy

6:20

using the phone or last year. Eleven.

6:23

Have already gone. Now

6:25

we talk a lot about boss and a

6:27

having difficulty bringing people him. But.

6:29

What that's telling us is that some of the

6:32

ones that they bring in our souls have solutions

6:34

other necessarily have a problem with that in some

6:36

cases because course we talked about the awareness that

6:38

people like Adama Traore a for example were short

6:40

term solutions that the has issues that they felt

6:43

they needed to responses and media. The Up on

6:45

the Young was a short term solution. They knew

6:47

that was something to respond to immediately and that's

6:49

okay. but if you got this much of a

6:51

turnover and what does, it's hundred and sixty million

6:54

Euros worth of the players in terms of just

6:56

transfer fees. allies above on offense. In the last

6:58

two years at the time. Of Financial Crisis.

7:00

Now the Financial crisis is what makes

7:03

this happen. In part. But.

7:05

It's also what makes it difficult to understand that

7:07

is happening quite like this. At

7:10

it doesn't feel like there's a huge amounts of

7:12

as he had the impact of what there's almost

7:14

no split seats and hobby in theory is the

7:16

embodiment of what boss I want to be in

7:18

full in terms resort. Huge amount of evidence of

7:20

that either. There. Really is a

7:22

bit but not huge amount of

7:24

them. Verizon and Tabby been questioned

7:26

quite quite heavily after at this

7:28

defeats am. Fairly. So I

7:31

mean that it is just another person's building. No I

7:33

don't think is going to be sucked with the end

7:35

of the season. I really don't Even if they lose

7:37

that would your knees does on Thursday. I mean that

7:39

just as it's feel like that is a decision of

7:41

going to be take it's before the end of the

7:43

same at but if he doesn't win anything this this

7:46

been as he was nothing now I think he some

7:48

purpose of liquor to be out in the summer. Let

7:50

me play the Doomsday Road here. Are

7:52

this is a that is not what I'm perfectly

7:55

happy with been I'm going to don't really like

7:57

to see to nor do they Kournikova his his

7:59

of the. They roll here in an

8:01

unrelated to tie it directly to to

8:04

to Chavis you chance which is to

8:06

say. I'd actually whole have a lot of

8:08

my this point five was a really good when they

8:10

were talking about based on are improving and you know

8:12

what can change as a noun in the season and

8:14

and how they can improve and than what it into

8:16

different stuff invalid I suppose. But.

8:20

What changes? But for them to say

8:22

something? how they play? What changes? Because.

8:24

The Poconos dollar signs. They've admitted the council on

8:26

any one at the moment. Now maybe they'll find

8:28

ways to generate enough money to sign the defensive

8:30

midfielder. They think they need a partner? What changes

8:32

And the only thing you can think of that

8:35

can change the change of manager? I'm

8:37

and so maybe that's the scenario. And the other

8:39

thing is you just said if they don't win

8:42

anything, he probably doesn't continue next year. And this

8:44

is where I get the doomsday scenario thing for

8:46

you. What? If they start to

8:48

worry that is not just about not winning something.

8:51

Wasn't. Start to worry that the situation at

8:53

the moment in which. Even athletic or

8:55

ahead of them. Who. Is

8:58

not something that's going away. Is

9:00

not something that just naturally gets turned around. What if

9:02

they look at they start thinking. Hang

9:05

on. We may not make the Champions League this

9:07

year. Now we all making the assumption that Trump's

9:09

they get a top four at my actually be

9:11

because the coefficients of the new structure. But as

9:13

a top five. In. Which case I would say

9:15

that probably should buy the champions league but you look at

9:17

it from the from if you like how just kind of

9:19

our people position which the look at the top four. And

9:23

is not. Don't see that they make the

9:25

Champions League next year. I'm so maybe if

9:28

if they do for themselves that for every

9:30

to the momentum really starts to go against

9:32

them. That's the one scenario which I can

9:34

see them deciding as he saw it as

9:36

a voices any point in get military because

9:39

what changes but if they start to get

9:41

a cheap the wheels of really coming off

9:43

fifth then maybe they do. Or

9:45

communize. yeah, real doomsday scenario for case.

9:47

And yeah, humming the the only potential

9:49

replace would be rough A Marcus I'm

9:51

in a literary don't think they can

9:54

be or anyone else insists and and

9:56

if let's say let's revert to down

9:58

the that the doomsday paths. Back

10:00

to the game and Vinicius is going

10:02

that far South executes semi a second

10:04

Ever had sex for a Real Madrid

10:06

he's him when he's had an injury

10:08

he played season so far it's and

10:10

it's been relatively quiet. Yes miss ten

10:12

weeks though or this is a terrific

10:14

side effects for amateur that he's back

10:16

and I was listening to them and

10:18

would have any to on the radio

10:20

know snippets from around which had player

10:23

and and used in coaches. I was

10:25

on the radio here and he said

10:27

think i think the any Sussex foster

10:29

shudder at them. Before he seem to have

10:31

never seen him look this as Sparky and

10:33

as yeah. I mean if he does it

10:35

look really good in the first on. Yeah

10:39

did I ask? Us what I'm

10:41

pretty know how to just that the death because

10:43

they can see that really really fast a foreign

10:45

and if you look pretty far off not think

10:47

we thing that before but there were a couple

10:49

times last night when he out run people and

10:51

and you know of us and we seen in

10:54

previous games that one about a hose pipe very

10:56

well against not on all of them are in

10:58

some of them and that thing by some physical

11:00

condition and speed and last night he didn't seem

11:02

going to much when he says i suppose suggests

11:04

one or two conclusion soon and I was not

11:06

as fast food of an Asus his confidence and

11:08

until last I can accept the argument have two

11:10

points. The other thing I would say it to

11:13

give this is correct context is that why the

11:15

off on a plate invited it. Even

11:17

more than other teams have done against Ramadan

11:19

fat far more think than I can remember

11:21

am a team doing against Roms And nothing

11:24

is partly about Barcelona offering that structure in

11:26

in fact I think Venetian said post and

11:28

last night did neither Ancelotti had told him.

11:31

Off. I will give assessments to running since

11:33

we gotta be ready for some when the school

11:35

bus the second am I have already been the

11:37

third. I already had to wanna one's even before

11:40

the thermometers effects they want to long as you

11:42

got. Been about Riga running for as well and

11:44

and on. Iraq has nothing is and yet depend

11:46

you make the sights on and off of Venice

11:49

is a brilliant at to put this into the

11:51

contacts you started with and I think this is

11:53

really important. We've watched a rounded seeing this year.

11:56

Where. we thought i played really well as

11:58

a handful of i They've

12:01

played quite well a lot of times and they've been just

12:03

sort of all right quite a lot

12:05

of the time But they've won lots and lots

12:07

of games And

12:09

I must admit I've sort of felt all the way

12:11

through the season that I'm not sure If

12:15

they're quite there yet, and one of

12:17

the key pieces missing has been Venetius Partly

12:19

because as you say because he's been injured he's missed ten

12:21

games And if he comes back into this kind of form

12:24

a team that over the last six or seven weeks

12:26

I think we started to think has started leaning into

12:28

that pretty good territory more than previously I think they're

12:31

playing better now than they were four or five weeks

12:33

ago if you add Venetius to

12:35

that They are

12:37

genuinely going to be really really good and honestly for

12:39

a lot this season. I thought I felt Okay,

12:42

Tony Cruz is playing brilliantly. Yes, Bellingham

12:45

is playing brilliantly Yes, and Rudiger is

12:47

playing brilliantly And I wasn't

12:49

really sure if I thought anyone else was in the last

12:51

five or six weeks wrote yeah cover how

12:53

that's true Yeah fair point and I was gonna say in

12:55

the last five or six weeks I've started to think Rodriquez

12:57

is in there as well having not had a good start

13:00

But if you're adding to that team

13:02

that is already starting to look like

13:04

it's getting there if you're

13:06

now adding a Venetius like this This

13:08

is now a properly good team Well,

13:11

let's see. Let's see how far they go this

13:13

season, but they are Spanish

13:15

Super Cup champions their first piece of

13:17

simple work and Congratulations

13:19

to them winning the trophy for the 13th time.

13:22

We're gonna move on But like

13:24

I say like I always say and if you want

13:26

to ask us a question do so on Real Madrid or

13:28

Barca and we will answer it tomorrow It

13:33

feels like said we should probably mention the

13:35

latest leaks in the Negleada case last

13:38

week What did you what did you make of them?

13:40

What you know explain? Explain

13:42

what we found out and how much you

13:45

think it changes the panorama? Yeah I'm

13:48

not sure that it changes it enormously

13:50

looking perfectly honest with you Let's

13:52

try and explain this as simplistically as

13:54

can essentially what happened was that the

13:57

the I Don't

13:59

know what you call it María de Cecreto, I suppose you call

14:01

it the kind of the secrecy around the case has

14:03

been lifted. So the

14:06

media has had access to essentially

14:08

the document that is prepared to

14:11

try and take this to court.

14:13

Effectively the way it works in Spain is you have kind

14:16

of an investigating judge who leads the case and

14:18

I suppose then you get to a point of

14:20

a public prosecutor who says, okay, we now take

14:23

this to court and this actually becomes a

14:25

full on case. Now we were told that the

14:27

documentation, I can't claim to have this thing

14:29

in my hand, is 1300 pages

14:31

long. And of course what the media

14:33

do, because pieces are short, this is

14:36

what we do, we've only got so

14:38

much space in the paper, is in

14:40

theory pick out the most interesting parts,

14:42

the most striking parts, the most eye-catching

14:45

and probably when we're talking about a

14:47

legal case, the most damning elements of that

14:49

case that's been brought forth against Barcelona. So

14:51

what we've seen in the last week is

14:53

quite a lot of quoting the opinion of

14:56

the judge and in

14:58

particular quoting elements of

15:00

the conversations, well the conversations, the interrogations

15:02

I suppose you could call them although

15:04

none of these people have been charged.

15:07

The interrogations between the investigators, the police,

15:09

investigators, Guadias, civil investigators and the referees.

15:12

And I actually think that most of what we've

15:15

seen in the media has largely been kind of

15:17

tittle-tuffle about those referees. It's largely been let's hear

15:19

what those referees have to say. I don't

15:22

feel like there's a

15:24

huge amount of hard and fast evidence, but

15:26

what has emerged from this in some cases

15:28

is some of those referees who

15:31

had previously said well Negreja wasn't that

15:33

important, now saying things which suggest at

15:36

the very least there was more contact with him.

15:38

I wouldn't say more important. I mean one of

15:40

the big stories to be leaked has been about

15:42

Iturale Gonsalves, a former referee who you know, full

15:44

disclosure here, I know I've worked with

15:46

and I get on very well with, having

15:48

changed his story dramatically about Negreja because

15:50

he previously had said Negreja is not

15:53

very important, didn't have much contact with

15:55

him really and now it emerges

15:57

through one of his assistant referees that they...

16:00

dinner with him I'm not sure how many times

16:02

four times or something after games in Barcelona. Now

16:05

for what it's worth I don't think well

16:07

first of all one of those games being the flying shuttle.

16:10

Yes but the five well I mean the five nil is a great

16:12

example of this really but there's absolutely no where's

16:14

the refereeing scandal in a five nil when

16:17

Barcelona completely destroyed Real Madrid. There

16:19

really isn't one. Now you might be able

16:21

to find a decision in fact I think

16:23

there might be a potential penalty at two

16:25

nil I'm not sure. But anyway the point

16:29

of this is the point I'm

16:31

trying to make is that so I think the

16:33

fact that a referee goes for dinner with a

16:35

referee and the head of the referees

16:37

committee or the vice-heller referees committee who lives in

16:39

Catalonia when he goes and referees a game in

16:42

Catalonia doesn't seem particularly amazing to me and it's

16:44

certainly no evidence of wrongdoing. What it is evidence

16:46

I think of is of a

16:48

referee building relationship with other referees. There

16:51

are suggestions from a lot of the referees in these discussions

16:55

about what they assume Barcelona were trying

16:57

to achieve. None of them showing evidence of

16:59

it but some of them saying well I imagine they

17:01

were trying to get influence. All of those

17:03

referees are saying and again this doesn't prove anything certainly

17:05

doesn't prove that they none of them were bought. All

17:08

of them saying you can't buy decisions and there's

17:10

no evidence they did buy decisions but I imagine

17:12

they were trying to curry influence and

17:14

have some favor. And

17:17

all of them have kind of said yeah

17:19

Naglay was quite active he was involved in

17:21

which referees got promotion or not so that

17:23

suggests a degree of potential power. The

17:25

problem is that none of this evidence

17:28

demonstrates moments in which

17:30

that power was abused but here's

17:32

my point in all of this

17:34

the fundamental fact still remains Barcelona

17:36

paid someone they absolutely shouldn't have

17:38

paid and that stinks and

17:41

some of these little anecdotal bits of evidence

17:43

don't look very good but none of them

17:45

I think in terms of the case really

17:48

push it on very far. Now what the

17:51

court document is saying the preparation for court

17:53

document is saying in other words the people

17:55

trying to bring a prosecution is saying is

17:58

the very fact of Barcelona paying this money

18:00

is evidence of wrongdoing. Now I personally would

18:02

agree with that. What I don't

18:04

know that we can actually do definitively and I think

18:06

from the point of view of the case it seems

18:09

quite weak to me is demonstrate

18:11

that. Which is of course

18:13

why and we talked about this before there

18:15

was a suggestion of well there has been in

18:17

fact a changing of the charge from sporting corruption

18:19

in which you would have to demonstrate the games

18:21

that have been brought to um

18:24

what's the phrase I'm looking for bribery

18:26

coetio is called in Spanish in other

18:28

words you're trying to curry favour with

18:30

a public official and in a situation like

18:32

that the very fact of paying them for

18:35

a service that can't be justified in this case

18:37

refereeing reports and so on is

18:40

in itself a crime regardless of whether you

18:43

have any benefit from it. The trouble is

18:45

of course a referee may not be able you may not be

18:47

able to prove that a referee is a public official. Yes

18:50

that's true um okay

18:52

well um I thought it was

18:54

important to to mention that we

18:56

will continue to mention the ongoing

18:58

investigation into this ongoing

19:00

case and we'll see whether or not we

19:02

get some resolution or not which we bloody

19:04

hope that we do um because

19:07

it would be beneficial to everyone. I think

19:09

I think I think it will be if

19:11

it goes to court I

19:13

think there's a very good chance unfortunately there will be

19:15

a long and tedious and not very interesting case. I

19:17

would love to think that one day someone

19:20

would turn up and provide the smoking gun but

19:23

I suspect that that's not going

19:25

to happen. Here's what happened in match

19:28

day 20 in La Liga Friday

19:30

night saw Sevilla suffer yet another

19:32

defeat one of the most damaging

19:34

of the season they were beaten

19:36

3-2 at home by Alaves. Alaves

19:38

hadn't won away to Sevilla since

19:40

1954 there were two nil up

19:42

and Sevilla managed to get themselves

19:44

back into the game drawing 2-2

19:46

before conceding in the 90th

19:48

minute to Ruben Duarte a massive win for

19:51

Alaves and a catastrophic result

19:53

for Sevilla. Then on Saturday

19:55

Las Palmas added more

19:57

problems to Villarreal who keep seeding

20:00

goals. Last time I scored three of

20:02

them. The second one was scored by

20:05

the fabulously named Juan Mahertsonk, who

20:07

was making his debut in La

20:09

Liga. Centabac is called a terrific

20:11

header. Kirian Rodriguez got the other

20:13

two. Mallorca and Seltzer played out

20:15

a 1-1 draw. Sid Urine

20:17

Bilbao to watch the Bar Stabi between

20:19

Athletic Club and La Real, which is

20:21

Athletic 1, by two goals to

20:23

one, thanks to a brose from Alex Berengue.

20:25

And Betis Biklanada by a goal

20:27

to nil, scored by Isco with 15

20:29

minutes to go. Then on Sunday, something of

20:32

a surprise, or not,

20:34

as Girona drew nil-nil away to

20:36

Al-Maria. Al-Maria had previously drawn their

20:38

last two home games, nil-nil,

20:40

so continuing that run. But two points

20:42

dropped for Girona, who do go top

20:44

of the table, a point clear of

20:46

Real Madrid, having played a game more.

20:48

And then the other game on Sunday

20:50

saw Cadiz beaten 4-1 by

20:53

Valencia at home. Another

20:55

clearable result at the time of

20:58

recording, Seifo Gonzalez is still the

21:00

manager of Cadiz, but it feels like

21:02

he is very much

21:04

facing a possible sack.

21:06

We'll start by reflecting on that game,

21:08

Sid. Not so much

21:10

what happened in the game, but the fact that

21:13

we had VAR audio being released for the first

21:15

time this week, so from the Sevilla game, and

21:17

when there was a penalty given, which I don't

21:19

think it was a penalty, and the Valencia game,

21:21

where a penalty was given, which I don't think

21:23

was a penalty, but we've got the video, the

21:25

audio and subtitles on the incidents

21:28

where the referee did an on-field review.

21:31

Firstly, what do you think of this, and then tell us

21:34

about Fylee's very good assessment.

21:36

Yeah, and

21:38

what I think about this is that there

21:41

is a slight misconception, although in fairness I

21:43

don't think everyone's going

21:45

down the route of this misconception. I think most

21:47

people recognise it, what it is. I think there

21:50

is a misconception that this is about improving the

21:52

refereeing, and it doesn't. I think it helps

21:54

us maybe understand, and it offers transparency

21:56

at a time, and we've already talked

21:58

about the negator case. when the

22:00

desire for transparency I think is quite high. But

22:03

I must admit, I personally think this is something

22:05

the media quite fancies, rather than

22:07

something that necessarily will help refereeing. You know,

22:09

there's another bit of information. And obviously I'm

22:11

fundamentally in favour of knowing more and seeing

22:13

more from the inside. I think that's not

22:16

a bad thing. My

22:18

concern with it is that I think it leads us

22:20

down even more of a track where even more of

22:22

our focus will be referees rather than the football itself.

22:25

I mean, so much so that here we are. But I won't say that.

22:27

Yeah, what I was going to say, so much so that here we are. But

22:31

the other part of this that I think is

22:33

really interesting is that I think there's two things

22:35

here. I think one of them is actually the

22:37

evidence of these two decisions and these two sets

22:39

of conversations. We should point out, by the way,

22:42

that this isn't put out live while it's happening.

22:44

No. They're not allowed to. In

22:46

fact, in theory, they're not even supposed to

22:48

do it the same day. But basically, the

22:50

recordings will be released to the TV companies

22:52

with the rights, rather than this being put out

22:54

by the Federation or by the referees committee. And it's

22:56

not going out live. But it's then being added, if

22:58

you like, to the highlights package shows or the postgame

23:01

shows. In both of

23:03

these cases, I actually thought there was a bit

23:05

of a problem

23:07

in terms of what we've

23:11

been told the VAR is for. We were

23:13

told that in these conversations, the

23:16

VAR guy would only

23:18

really have a conversation that said, I

23:20

recommend you go and see it. And

23:23

I will now provide

23:25

it for you. I

23:28

will now provide you with the images. So

23:30

the conversation would be, hello, Mr. Referee.

23:33

I'm Mr. VAR. Obviously, they won't actually say

23:35

that, because they know that. Go

23:37

and have a look at this. Mr. Referee would go

23:39

to the screen and say, can I have the reverse angle, please?

23:41

Can I have it from the other side? Can you stop it

23:43

there? Can you show me the contact? In

23:46

these cases, and in particular in the

23:48

severe one, actually, no. No, actually,

23:50

in both of them, the VAR guy

23:52

was saying, come and have a look at

23:54

it. And it's a penalty. And I'll tell you why,

23:56

basically. He was saying, look at this. Look, he does

23:58

the contact. And essentially, the guy. the field was

24:01

sort of being told what to give

24:03

and we'd been told that actually

24:05

however much he's provided with the tools he will

24:07

still now he still does have the authority to

24:10

give a decision difference the one the guy in

24:12

the room is saying but if we hear it

24:14

like this we're basically being shown why

24:16

when a VAR calls you you're going to agree with

24:18

them now obviously that's natural because they wouldn't in theory

24:20

call you unless it's obvious but

24:23

I think both of these cases were not that

24:25

clear and obvious no and I thought there was

24:27

a degree of leaning on the principal referee by

24:29

the VAR referee in both conversations one

24:32

of them is a handball where the VAR referee is

24:34

saying look look he moves his hand towards it a

24:36

bit and the other one is a foul where the

24:38

VAR referee says if you notice he takes him from

24:40

behind and then will show you the other angle and

24:42

basically the conversation is basically the first referee saying can

24:45

I have it from the back please okay show me

24:47

the point of contact freeze it there for me let

24:49

me see it now show me the front the front's

24:51

really clear and they have a conversation and they decide

24:53

on the penalty what I thought

24:55

was interesting you asked me to mention it is Fali

24:58

and I really like this because Fali post game now

25:00

you can be you can agree by the way with

25:02

Fali or disagree with that. Fali is the Cadiz centre

25:04

back yeah yeah so Fali post

25:06

game was played this footage and this footage by

25:08

the way producer Al just pointed out to us

25:10

has been put on social media as well this

25:14

this footage was played to him

25:16

and Ugo Duro one

25:18

Cadiz player one Valencia player and Fali was

25:20

really interesting because he went off on one

25:22

and he went on a bit of a

25:24

rant and he said look the referee

25:26

has seen this it's right in front of it

25:28

he's seen it live and now you've got a

25:30

guy in the studio saying to him come

25:33

and have a look at it again you're wrong because the arm

25:35

moves and look at this and he says and we're looking at

25:37

it and the arm does move a little bit but hardly anything

25:40

and the first referee has been staring it live and

25:42

he has seen it and that's never a

25:44

handball in my view that's never ever a

25:47

handball and this is why he hasn't got

25:49

the penalty. Exactly exactly I was

25:51

building to that. I'm sorry

25:53

I'm sorry I

25:56

Shouldn't know. So so so basically

25:58

he's He's He's. Going on about

26:01

this and saying this is all sorts of

26:03

always never a handball, it should never be

26:05

any even if it is a humble it's

26:07

not clear and obvious clattering manifestoes they say

26:10

Spanish for the vast be making this decision

26:12

is all sorts of wrong and as you

26:14

say adjusted benefit him and I thought you

26:16

know what even if I disagreed with him

26:19

at the same good on you for giving

26:21

us an arnold and analysis I said your

26:23

conceptualization of how the should work rather bison

26:25

your self interest and I was is really

26:28

impressive and I'll just for good on you.

26:31

Sit. On the seats and is kind of

26:33

punjab very difficult situation at that their

26:35

lives and pull off an enormous that

26:37

is now it doesn't doesn't experiences Obama

26:39

Sydney's you want to see the best

26:41

team in La Liga right now Athletic

26:43

Club not my words the words of

26:45

a banal I was still there but

26:47

also feed a manager who posts game

26:49

despite having been beaten to on and

26:51

he said defeat the the hurts philosophy

26:53

that and it's who said a feat

26:55

that the damages them quite badly leaves

26:57

and nine points behind athletic him and

26:59

you know it's early still. But

27:01

that's obviously a very big.and he said post game

27:03

it was released because he was he was giving

27:05

mouse is not a by the way necessarily disagree

27:08

with our put up what was unusual for managed

27:10

give his house and he said look if you'd

27:12

look at the game. They.

27:14

Only had two shots they scoop I from

27:17

they actually had three on target or in

27:19

whole game we only have one on we

27:21

only school that one not used to on

27:23

target was three one shots it that to

27:25

others are it's they are team if you

27:28

look at their numbers in recent weeks are

27:30

producing huge numbers of crosses. Pricing loves musicals

27:32

is of we limited them and we stop.

27:34

I'm doing that and in that sense we

27:36

should be reason be satisfied with how he

27:39

plays overseas and then besides or we'll get

27:41

to face and death decisions that defeated even

27:43

but we we actually played arrives. Had because

27:45

this is athletic club who are the best

27:47

team in Spain at the moment. Some somehow

27:50

the planes the number so that the way

27:52

they're playing shows that and so this isn't

27:54

so bad. I

27:56

already lights. At s of of

27:58

others response they side. Valverde even and

28:01

he came in after him at all. as Adler

28:03

Image also said you're the best team in Spain

28:05

and he said well rounded. It's employees head of

28:07

a specific six. There. Are

28:10

six hundred and zero to nine?

28:12

second? One

28:14

of the other way round nothing is never know

28:17

the I've tried in L Eleven right? you're not

28:19

early on he got no one points. oh save

28:21

with her in mass or amateurs only seven points

28:23

above athletic out because I just one sorry I

28:25

want to have been to and yet the cold

28:27

again that's why yes are so yes yes It.

28:32

Up to stay clear of numbers. Out

28:35

next on which I mention any kind of

28:37

number said it House of Janata are a

28:39

point care of the top of Lalita. That's

28:42

the positive for then. I think the positive for

28:44

them to put in the worst performance of the

28:47

season and actually get something out again because they

28:49

were really really poor. Guess I'll maria i'm a

28:51

really rough are all over them, really should have

28:53

ones and yet you're to somehow managed to get

28:55

something out the game Yet in fact Ah Mitchell

28:58

described as a naughty see on a great piece.

29:00

A great news is to gripe is news that

29:02

we got something in a game like this and

29:04

I'm poor old Almeria who really haven't been as

29:06

bad as their numbers suggest as you. They don't

29:09

good on them to claim a good by any

29:11

means but they. Have mean, as bad as

29:13

they I'm. About

29:15

as you say oh please. Seven and enough or in

29:17

in the concepts of match fixing. My gosh shouldn't uses

29:19

these outcomes. I the kumbaya rid of the moment. maybe

29:22

they should try for maybe that's what that is it

29:24

the do now for him by a when I'm because

29:26

they just come on and I think it is. I

29:28

do think this is a really really bad results with

29:30

your owner but you're right. Given the concept to the

29:33

guy in the white was played the number of chances

29:35

that doesn't in got the site for example. This.

29:38

Actually turned out to be in Iraq.

29:40

Result: Guess it it and they are

29:42

a point player at the top the

29:44

table. Real Madrid skating hands he sat

29:46

next thursday gets hit ss and see

29:48

how they I get on with that.

29:50

Before that we've got Copa del Rey

29:52

last sixteen as a sweet. The.

29:54

football is really is quite relentless in

29:56

in january it's our tuesday by hit

29:58

us a severe athletically Alves and

30:00

Tenerife at Mallorca, the only second

30:03

division side left in the competition.

30:05

Then on Wednesday Valencia, Seltar, Ososuna,

30:07

L'Areal and Girono-Rio. And then on

30:09

Thursday Unionistas, third tier Unionistas at

30:12

home to Barcelona and that Madrid

30:14

derby at the Metropolitana, Atletico Madrid

30:16

against Real Madrid. So that's what's

30:18

coming up this week. Enjoy

30:21

that football guys. We will be back

30:23

later on in the week to analyse

30:25

it over at patreon.com/TSFP. We'll also be

30:27

doing a Q&A

30:30

pod, which I think I've mentioned several times

30:32

tomorrow. So send us your questions. If you

30:34

don't want to pay for it, don't worry.

30:36

We'll be back here giving it away for

30:38

free next Monday. Adios. Cheerio.