Controversial technology chief resigns from Referee Committee after 17 days | OneFootball

Chema Alonso, who became a controversial appointment to the CTA (Referees Committee), has resigned from his role with Spain’s refereeing body. The decision comes after just 17 days, and before Spanish domestic competition has gotten underway.

Alonso was appointed as the new technology chief by the CTA and its new President Francisco Soto last month, as part of the committee that will designate referees to matches going forward. His role was to facilitate the understanding and use of AI in scoring the referees on the games.

Controversy over appointment

However it did not take long for Alonso’s appointment to draw criticism. Over the years, Alonso has published a number of impassioned social media posts about Real Madrid and his support for them, while also making derogatory remarks about Barcelona. This did not go down well in the Catalan capital.

Image via SERGIO ENRÍQUEZ NISTAL | EL MUNDO

Alonso’s defence of his role

After the controversy, Alonso wrote a public letter about the matter. He explained that he would have nothing to do with VAR, and that his role was simply advisory, and would have nothing to do with how the AI tools were designed. He would go on to say that his daughter is also an Atletico Madrid fan, and as a result he also has an affinity for Real Madrid’s rivals.

Alonso’s resignation due to new role – with company frustrating La Liga

As reported by Cadena Cope, Alonso’s change of direction is not due to the controversy surrounding his appointment. The former Telefonica chief and hacker has recently taken a new role with US company Cloudflare, where he will become the Vice-President and Head of International Development, which is incompatible with his new role at the CTA.

An additional point of interest is that La Liga have an ongoing battle with Cloudflare. The league accuse the internet provider of facilitating pirate streaming of their broadcasts, as the server will now provide the league access to private user information.