Referees will apply new guidelines to the League after the international break

BarcelonaThe Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) will take advantage of the resumption of the League after the international break to correct some of the problems detected during the first seven matchdays of the competition. There are two aspects that are especially concerning: the excessive caution of the VAR and the lack of determination of some referees on the pitch.

Video assistant refereeing is not working with the expected effectiveness and it is a problem that has been dragging on since last season. The person in charge of this area, Eduardo Prieto Iglesias, has set up a specific body of only fifteen members with the aim of unifying criteria. But at the moment it is not being achieved: too many errors have been validated under the pretext of intervening as little as possible.

VAR referees received a clear instruction at the beginning of the season: to reduce their participation to the absolute minimum. The CTA wanted to bring the Spanish model closer to UEFA criteria, but the guideline has ended up negatively conditioning the referees in the VOR room. On certain occasions, they have preferred to shrink back and not correct their colleagues' errors, such as the red card that was not shown to Kang-in Lee in the derby between Atlético and Real Madrid or the penalty that was denied to Osasuna against Espanyol.

In this context, the committee is also giving opportunities as VAR in First Division matches to referees who had only reached the Second Division. The formula allows for expanding the roster of specialists, but it has also highlighted two problems: the lack of experience in high-pressure scenarios and the hierarchical difference that can occur when the referee in the VOR room has to correct a colleague with more weight or experience on the pitch.

The second concern of the CTA focuses precisely on the field of play. The committee believes that some referees are avoiding making difficult decisions because they know they have the safety net of the VAR. The expulsion of Dean Huijsen in the Madrid derby is the most flagrant example: although the action was clear enough to make the decision directly, the referee needed to go to the monitor to show the red card.

The problem is especially worrying this season because four of the twenty First Division referees are debutants. 20% of the staff is facing the top category for the first time, and the committee has detected that some are refereeing with excessive caution, especially when it comes to making major decisions.

The CTA will also maintain a demanding policy regarding errors corrected from the VOR room. Referees who need two reviews in the same match will be exposed to sanctions in the form of designations, popularly known as “freezers”.

A Catalan referee called to have a prominent role

International referees have not rested during the League break either. UEFA has trusted Spanish officials to officiate some of the most prominent matches in the Nations League, a window that the CTA considers important to regain weight within European refereeing. Alejandro José Hernández Hernández, the main candidate to whistle the next 'Clásico', continues to enjoy the confidence of Roberto Rosetti, the head of UEFA refereeing. The Canary Islander refereed the draw between the Netherlands and Germany (1-1), which coincided with Xavi Hernández's debut on the Dutch bench, and was also appointed for Wales vs. Norway. Jesús Gil Manzano, for his part, received one of the most attractive assignments of the matchday with the France vs. Italy game played in Paris.

One of Fran Soto's main objectives at the head of the CTA is to recover the lost ground on the international scene. The testimonial Spanish participation in the World Cup once again highlighted the need for a renewal and the committee is working to prepare a new generation of talent. In this process, Víctor García Verdura is one of the names highlighted. The Catalan has been proposed to join the international list starting in 2027, and at 31 years old, after consolidating himself in the First Division, he is one of the main bets of the CTA, together with Javier Alberola Rojas and Mateo Busquets Ferrer.