A rare incident happened in Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Sociedad in La Liga this morning (September 18), when line referee Pau Norbert Cebrian Devis ran into the field to pass the ball to goalkeeper Kepa.

The incident happened in the 83rd minute, when Real Madrid was leading Sociedad 2-1 at the Bernabeu. Mr. Devis went a few meters inside the field to pass the ball to Kepa, as an attempt to prevent the Real Madrid goalkeeper from deliberately slowing putting the ball into play to buy time, as time was ticking towards the final minutes.

 

This is an unusual situation because for many years, referees have been very careful about touching the ball during matches. Decades ago, this was actually quite common in the sport, also with the purpose of preventing players from wasting time. However, in modern football, such events were almost extinct, before being “revived” by line referee Devis.

 

Although the regulations do not clearly state that assistant referees, specifically line referees, cannot enter the field of play except for the main referee, the action that took place at the Bernabeu attracted attention due to its unusual nature. its. For this reason, the work of line referee Devis was protested by Real Madrid fans.

Referee work in La Liga has recently had many problems, especially in the decisions made, making Mr. Devis’ case considered relatively sensitive. However, in the end nothing ꜱudden happened, as Real Madrid still maintained a 2-1 comeback victory over Sociedad , thereby reclaiming the top spot in La Liga from Barca.