The RFEF’s regulatory compliance department launched the inquiry on February 18 after allegations surfaced regarding a potential conflict between Munuera Montero’s consultancy business and his responsibilities as a referee.
The allegations centered around the 41-year-old’s consultancy firm, Talentus Sports, founded in 2024, with claims that its clients included La Liga, the RFEF, UEFA, and professional clubs from Spain and abroad. Munuera Montero denied any wrongdoing and fully cooperated with the investigation, according to the RFEF.
Following a thorough analysis of the activities of the companies in which Munuera Montero holds a stake and his level of involvement, the RFEF concluded that there was no conflict of interest.
The report read: “Consequently, and taking into account the internal regulations on conflicts of interest and the RFEF’s good practices, there is no reason to justify the adoption of measures against Mr. Munuera Montero”.
Munuera Montero has been a top-flight referee in Spanish football since 2016. He recently made headlines after sending off Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham for alleged swearing during Saturday’s La Liga clash against Osasuna, sparking a heated debate over the England international’s language and its interpretation in Spanish football.
In a social media post on Tuesday night, Munuera Montero dismissed the allegations as part of an “excessive attack on the refereeing community” and maintained that his company had no involvement in any conflicts of interest.
His statement said: “I will exercise the corresponding civil and criminal actions against those media that have intentionally or recklessly spread falsehoods or incorrect or biased information, causing irreparable damage to the professional prestige, reputation of myself and of the refereeing community, as well as to the personal privacy of myself and of third parties.”
In an interview with Spanish radio station Cope this week, Munuera Montero said he had received death threats in wake of the allegations.
“I am very calm and I want to deny all the slander to which we have been accustomed in recent months,” he said.
“Before I received more than 100,000 threatening messages, death threats, insults… what I did was to silence my Linkedin account. I am not afraid because I have nothing to hide. My family is the one who is suffering the most, they are very worried. They know they can’t ask me to stop, it’s impossible. I try to calm them down. I put up with this defamation, but my parents don’t deserve this.”
Discover more from BrainBurst
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
