كتب : Amro Hassan
Burrull, who is dubbed by Spanish media as ‘Ghandour’ refereed the Liga clash between Osasuna and Real Madrid, where he denied Osasuna two clear penalty-kicks.
“The person who sent me threatening messages read and heard in the media that I robbed them, stole the game,” Burrull told Intereconomia television.
“If he had read that what happened was only a mistake he probably wouldn’t have done it.
During the very same game, Burrull sent-off Osasuna’s Juanfran, who was cautioned for protesting, and then showed a red card for what the referee saw as simulation.
“The media say they want to combat violence but what about the referees? We participate in one of the country’s most watched spectacles yet they insult us and attack us every weekend,” considered Burrull.
Spanish Ghandour
Burrull earned the name Ghandour in Spain, where national team fans still hold a grudge against Egyptian referee Gamal Al-Ghandour, who they consider the main reason behind Spain’s 2002 World Cup.
Al-Ghandour was in charge of the quarter-final game between Spain and co-hosts South Korea. The retired referee had disallowed two goals for the 'Furia Roja' before they lost the game on penalties.
TV replays proved Al-Ghandour's decisions were wrong.
“Till this day, whenever we have a bad referee in Spain, we tell him 'you are a Ghandour,” AFP Spanish reporter Pablo San Roman told FilGoal.com.
“Spain will never forgive Al-Ghandour. We consider his errors to be the main reason behind our exit from the 2002 World Cup.
“Spain would’ve definitely beaten South Korea if it wasn’t for Al-Ghandour’s wrong calls. We could’ve made it to the World Cup final as we had a great team at the time,” added San Roman.