Quote: Cibaman "But this was, allegedly, a referee not a bunch of brain dead fans. Surely players would react more strongly if they were on the receiving end of that language from a referee?'"
Of course they should have reacted more strongly if he said it, but there are too many variables to consider. When he said it, did he say it quietly to Mata? Did he say it clearly enough for Mata to have an immediate reaction? When did Mata tell his team mates it was said to him? Did his team mates hear it and tell him, or did they all hear it at the same time? I look forward to reading the investigation if they release the full information.
The monkey comment is very serious, Mikel surely wouldn't have played on in a game being refereed by somebody like that. I find it hard to believe he'd call a player a monkey and get almost no reaction, especially when you consider the reaction referees get when they make the slightest wrong call.