Osasuna President Slams Refereeing 'Scandal'

In the aftermath of Osasuna's loss to Real Madrid at the weekend, the Pamplona side have announced they will be cutting their ties with all referees.

President of the club, Patxi Izco, has also branded the game, which saw Osasuna twice denied clear penalties and resulted with Juanfran being booked on both occasions for simulation, as a "scandal", and the referee as "immoral."

"Osasuna has always tried to maintain a positive relationship with the referees, because we feel it is the best thing to do, and we know how hard it is to referee a match, but yesterday, it went too far," boomed the president in a press conference.

"I believe that we have every reason to do this; it has been recognised by everyone as a scandal. We know it is not a positive change but one day it has to stop.

"Osasuna will break from the refereeing classes, from the delegates at the federation, to the three referees that attend them, and the school of referees in Navarra will be finished."

Izco, who was visibly frustrated by manner of the loss to Real Madrid yesterday, also declared that Osasuna would be appealing the red card of Juanfran, and said this is not the first time they have suffered at the hands of an official.

"Replays show the referee was not right and that the player is not deserving of a ban," he began.

"We are still alive even though many misfortunes and calamities are passing us. I do not think we are the worst [team]. Osasuna should stay in La Primera and I believe we will.

"What happened yesterday is the current news but we cannot forget the refereeing that happened in Sevilla, Mallorca, Valencia, and in the way we lost to [Sporting] Gijón this year. This is the final straw."

Despite his anger, Izco declared that he did not call referee Pérez Burrull a delinquent, as reported in some papers, but, instead, that is what he was told by a friend of his.

He did, however, say that the action of the referee was immoral, because he saw the decision and whistled before stopping.

James Walker-Roberts, Goal.com

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