The referee defends the legality of his company and denounces a ‘disproportionate attack’ against the refereeing collective

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Munuera Montero will take legal action against the media for ‘false and biased’ information

The First Division referee, José Luis Munuera Montero, announced on Tuesday 18 February his intention to take civil and criminal legal action against the media who, according to him, have spread ‘false, incorrect or biased’ information about his business activity.

The controversy arose following a report in the AS newspaper, which revealed that the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) is analysing whether the referee's private business could represent a conflict of interest with his work as a referee. Specifically, the federation is investigating his relationship with the company Talentus Sports, dedicated to sports consultancy and management.

RFEF Committee investigates the case

As of Tuesday, the RFEF's Regulatory Compliance Committee has begun to study the information relating to the referee, following the codes of good governance. Until the procedure is concluded, the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) has decided not to assign matches to him.

Munuera Montero, who officiated last Saturday's match between Osasuna and Real Madrid, has rejected any irregularity and defended the transparency of his company. In a statement, he explained that Talentus Sports Speakers, of which he is a partner, has not invoiced ‘any amount to any sporting entity’, whether clubs, federations or companies in the sector.

Defence of his business activity

The collegiate has detailed that Talentus Sports Speakers was born less than a year ago with the objective that sportsmen and women share their experiences and values with organisations. He also clarified that another of his projects, Talentus Sports Recruitment, aims to disseminate job offers in the sports industry, without receiving any financial compensation for it.

According to Munuera Montero, his company has published hundreds of job offers from various sports organisations without obtaining any income or contacting the clubs or companies involved directly.

Given the repercussions of the case, the referee has announced that he will take legal action against the media which, in his opinion, have caused ‘irreparable damage to his professional prestige and to the reputation of the refereeing profession’. Furthermore, he considers that these reports have violated his privacy and that of third parties.