Sevilla planning extra security for referee against Real Madrid

Sevilla have announced that they are putting special security measures in place to ensure that Real Madrid can't influence the referee with free backrubs or whatever they might try during halftime of Wednesday' Copa del Rey first leg match.

From Reuters:

The unusual step by the Cup holders is the result of acontroversial semi-final second leg between the two clubs inSeville in February 2004.

Real official Jorge Valdano, now the clubs directorgeneral, was accused of speaking to the referee during theinterval minutes after Zinedine Zidane had been sent off.

Sevilla had scored in the first minute to make it 2-1 onaggregate but lost Javi Navarro to a second yellow card nineminutes into the second half, leading to accusations thatValdano had influenced the match officials.

So now, years later, Sevilla will do what they must to ensure that only they can get to the match officials at halftime, thank you very much.

This year we are going to put the necessary securitymeasures in place around the referees dressing room to makesure that no stange [sic] elements in the vicinity of the matchofficials can get into their quarters, Sevilla president JoseMaria del Nido said in a television interview on Monday.

The president of Sevilla, as always, has faith in thereferees, is aware of their objectivity and knows that they willblow for what they see and not what they are told to see.

...which is why he thinks it's necessary to quarantine them at halftime.

But what are these special security measures? Well, we don't know. However, I do imagine/hope they involve lasers, heavil! y armed Hells Angels, and The Rock. Or they might just rent out Barcelona's back line since Real can't get anything past them these days (oh snap!).

Photo: Getty Images


Comments