José Luis Munuera: "We enjoy this type of match a lot because we are sportsmen".
The main referee and the VAR official for the Cup final clash between Athletic Club and RCD Mallorca shared their excitement about their appearance in the final: "it’s a challenge and a dream professionally".
Wearing smiling faces and showing a calm attitude, José Luis Munuera Montero and Eduardo Prieto Iglesias appeared before the media this Friday accompanied by the rest of the team of officials appointed for the final of the Copa del Rey.
🗣️ José Luis Munuera Montero, árbitro principal de la final: "Estoy súper ilusionado. Es un gran reto profesional.
— RFEF (@rfef) April 5, 2024
➡️ "Y en lo personal también estoy muy feliz".#CopaDelRey | #LaCopaMola pic.twitter.com/vq0hQjYSst
The referee from Jaén expressed his hope that "there will be a lot of goals and a fluid game. We have the teams perfectly studied. We do it weekly with a technical summary of the teams. We know what we're going to find, although each match is very different. There is a lot more emotion and feeling in a final".
🗣️ José Luis Munuera Montero, árbitro principal de la final: "Somos conscientes de lo que se juegan ambos equipos y también lo que nos jugamos nosotros".
— RFEF (@rfef) April 5, 2024
➡️ "Esperamos que sea una fiesta, que la gente disfrute y que el domingo no se hable de nosotros".#CopaDelRey | #LaCopaMola pic.twitter.com/YGkbL0y4dU
At his side, Eduardo Prieto from Navarre will act as video assistant referee, a position which he is specialised in, who explained his role highlighting the importance "of being able to be very agile with the protocol and when it comes to giving information to the on-field referee. The VAR is just that, a tool that the on-field referees have and the important thing is that the referee decides which decision is the best".
🗣️ Eduardo Prieto Iglesias, VAR de la final: "El VAR no viene para tomar decisiones, si no para darle una oportunidad al árbitro principal para modificar una decisión".
— RFEF (@rfef) April 5, 2024
➡️ "El VAR propone y muestra, pero es el árbitro quien toma la decisión final".#CopaDelRey | #LaCopaMola pic.twitter.com/07h5k7gsoA
A reflection shared by Munuera Montero, who has publicly acknowledged that "in matches like this we enjoy ourselves because we are sportsmen and women and we are passionate about what we do, although this does not mean that we are not responsible too".
🗣️ Eduardo Prieto Iglesias, VAR de la final: "Aspiramos a ser muy ágiles con el procedimiento de elegir las cámaras y transmitir la información al árbitro".
— RFEF (@rfef) April 5, 2024
➡️ "Mañana tendremos el fuera de juego semiautomático, herramienta que mejora al VAR".#CopaDelRey | #LaCopaMola pic.twitter.com/OfeTv0NkQe
"This is a challenge and a professional dream. We are very happy and content", continued the Andalusian referee, for whom "I don't like to talk about pressure, but about responsibility. We've given everything we've got to get here at one hundred per cent. We want people to talk about us as little as possible".
🗣️ José Luis Munuera Montero, árbitro principal de la final: "El ambiente en la ciudad es espectacular, es increíble".
— RFEF (@rfef) April 5, 2024
🗣️ Eduardo Prieto Iglesias, VAR de la final: "Sabemos que detrás del partido de mañana hay dos ciudades vibrando por ganar la Copa".#CopaDelRey | #LaCopaMola pic.twitter.com/0em4My5ui1
With this mentality, the help from the VAR studio and innovative tools such as the semi-automatic offside, the refereeing team is more than prepared for the big match this Saturday, in which "there are two cities that are going to vibrate in a spectacular atmosphere", the referees emphasised with a smile of satisfaction on their faces.
