October 23, (THEWILL) – Real Madrid Manager, Carlo Ancelotti, has said he does not have “freedom of expression” to openly discuss refereeing decisions ahead of his side’s UEFA Champions League clash away to Sporting Braga on Tuesday.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Ancelotti appeared to refrain from getting drawn into the debate around the standard of refereeing in Spain. He said he risked being suspended if he offered his true opinion on the matter.
“I don’t have freedom of expression when it comes to talking about referees. If I say what I think, I get suspended and I want to work and make the most of the matches, which excite me,” said the Italian.
Ancelotti insisted his players would not be distracted by the upcoming El Clasico match against Barcelona as they look to make it back-to-back wins in Group C. Real will again be without Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao but David Alaba is expected to return.
Braga will host the Spanish giants for the first time ever after qualifying for the UCL for the first time in 11 years. Manager Artur Jorge said the match would “go down in Braga’s history” but vowed his side would seek to be competitive against “one of the best teams in the world”. The Portuguese side famously came from two goals down to beat Union Berlin 3-2 in their last European outing.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
