The 0-2 defeat suffered last Friday in Cornellà against Girona caused widespread outrage among fans and the coaching staff. Coach Manolo González expressed his anger over a refereeing performance he considered decisive, particularly due to two “very rigorous” penalties awarded during added time in each half.
“"There are things I cannot believe. But it is what it is. The only correct thing was repeating the penalty, but everything that happened... Not a single doubt, not a VAR review. I try to stay away from the refereeing issue. When I saw the referee... I expected something like this."
The club executives, Mao Ye (CEO and Vice-President) and Antonio Dávila (Vice-President), will travel to the capital to understand the criteria applied in the Catalan derby. The main complaints from the white-and-blue club focus on the second penalty (by Rubén on Asprilla), which seemed “even more surreal,” and the meager four minutes of final added time.
Beyond the sporting controversy, the club faces a potential sanction for throwing objects. The second penalty prompted local fans to throw bottles, one of which hit visiting goalkeeper Gazzaniga. The RFEF Disciplinary Committee will address the issue this week, and the partial closure of the Gol del Prat section is not ruled out.
In the 94th minute, after the second goal of Girona was scored, bottles without caps, containing liquid, were thrown by local team fans, one of which impacted the visiting goalkeeper's back without causing apparent harm. For this reason, phase 1 of the throwing protocol was activated without further incidents occurring.
The club is working to identify the individuals who threw the bottles. If the partial stadium closure is confirmed, Espanyol could accept the punishment or appeal to higher instances such as the Appeals Committee or the TAD.
