LALIGA EA Sports: "Looking after referees means looking after football" (Athletic Club Bilbao)

"Respect for referees as a group must be a non-negotiable principle shared by everyone involved in football. Football would not be possible without the referee, who ensures the laws of the game are respected. Their work, carried out under permanent exposure and scrutiny, is essential to the running of the competition. Referees resign themselves to the fact that their greatest merit is to go unnoticed, and carry out their duties knowing they will constantly receive protests from all parties involved," Athletic Club Bilbao (LALIGA EA Sports) said in a statement titled "Looking after referees means looking after football" and published on 4 November 2026.

"Players, coaches, executives, media and supporters, we all have a responsibility to help create an environment in which disagreement…