Catalan referees will be able to whistle against Barça in an official match for the first time.

SabadellThe Madrid derby from a few days ago has gone down in history as the first match in which a referee from the same city as the teams involved was appointed. The VOR room was led by Carlos del Cerro Grande, born in Madrid, who shared the role with Valentín Pizarro, also a resident of the capital. A situation hitherto unprecedented but one that will become increasingly common.

The Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) decided to break the territorial criterion at the request of the League and the Spanish Federation, as part of the process of profound renewal of the refereeing establishment promoted by Rafael Louzán, president of the RFEF. The first test came on Matchday 3, when two Asturian assistants—Israel Bárcena, from Gijón, and Judith Romano, from Llanes—were appointed to Carlos Tartiere to referee an Oviedo-Real Sociedad match. Their strong performance reinforced the conviction of its leaders.

However, it remains to be seen how the measure is received by clubs and whether the appointments generate suspicion before the match or comments about the referee's origins in subsequent statements. La Liga is aligning itself with a model already in place in the English Premier League, France's Ligue 1, and the Portuguese league.

Sporting criteria are a priority

First came the assistant referees, then the VAR referees, and the next to whistle close to home will be the main referees. The appointing committee, made up of Fran Soto (president of the CTA), former referee Fernando Teixeira Vitienes, and coach Gregorio Manzano, has decided to implement this "new normal" gradually. Before the end of the season, the intention is for a referee to make his debut at home. The idea is to choose a match with little media coverage or between two teams from the same region, as happened in the recent Atlético de Madrid – Real Madrid match.

Looking ahead, it is hoped that those responsible for appointing referees will be able to choose referees prioritizing sporting criteria, regardless of geographical origin. This would also resolve the problems caused by referee triplets made up of referees from different regions, who often have to split up to avoid overlapping with clubs in their area.

Referees oppose the measure

The referees know that the CTA adopted this measure as a result of pressure, not out of conviction. Referee neutrality is an unwritten rule that has always been respected to avoid suspicion and ensure the safety of referees. That's why they don't welcome the new guideline and believe that whistling close to home could cause problems that could eventually spill over into their personal lives.

Furthermore, the referees feel slighted by the fact that the leaders pushed through the change without their consent. The refereeing staff learned of the CTA's new policy through the press and official appointments, and believe that a decision that affects them so directly should have been discussed with them, the first parties involved.