The astonishing preferential treatment of a referee with a bad reputation for Barça
Soto Grado, the referee who has most harmed Barça, will remain in the First Division for another year despite being over the established age.
BarcelonaThe Spanish Federation (RFEF) has published the referee lists certifying the promotions and relegations of national referees. This year's movements have had a highly political component, given that the president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Luis Medina Cantalejo, has been dismissed from his duties.
Curiously, the only decision Medina didn't make before his dismissal was the continuity of César Soto Grado. The Riojan referee was facing his last season in the First Division, as he would turn 45 at the end of the season, and the RFEF retires referees who exceed this age to make way for new generations. There have only been two exceptions to the rule: Antonio Mateu Lahoz and Carlos del Cerro Grande, because both were preselected for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and were part of the UEFA Elite Group.
Soto Grado's case is diametrically opposite. Although he is highly rated in domestic competition, UEFA does not count on him and his European appearances are insignificant. In that context, there was no reason to award him a extra ball But the veteran referee has managed to pull strings behind the scenes to have a seat at the game next season. In fact, his conduct outraged Medina Cantalejo, who withdrew him from the Copa del Rey final he was supposed to referee in Seville between Barça and Real Madrid.
Soto Grado's record with Barça is very negative for the Blaugrana: 6 wins, 3 draws, and 5 losses in 14 matches. That's a 43% win rate, well below the 65% that Real Madrid has under his command: 15 wins, 6 draws, and only two losses in the 23 matches he refereed.
Another setback for Catalan refereeing.
With the list of promotions and relegations published, it is clear that Catalan refereeing continues to accumulate disappointments: Igualada native Rubén Ávalos Barrera will not continue in the Second Division next year. As no Catalan will move up a category, there will be only one representative in the elite in the 2025-26 season: Víctor Garcia Verdura (First Division). The presence of Catalan referees in the elite has been declining over the last decade despite being the federation with the most licenses. The turning point came in 2021, when Madrid native Velasco Carballo went to the withdraw in Medié Jiménez the same year that Estrada Fernández hung up his whistle.
The mandate of the Sevillian Medina Cantalejo has left a string of promotions in Andalusia and this year he has placed a main referee, Guzmán Mansilla, in the First Division, as well as an assistant. The Navarrese federation is also in luck as it will have a new referee in the elite (Galech Apezteguía) and another in the silver division. For its part, La Rioja has achieved a very commendable milestone: accumulating two referees in the top flight thanks to the continuity of Soto Grado and the promotion of Sesma Espinosa, although it is a federation that only has 250 licenses.
The referee of Real Sociedad B - Nàstic pays dearly for his error
Abraham Domínguez Cervantes had been appointed for the return leg of the final of the play-off between Real Sociedad's reserve team and Nàstic. Officiating the most important match of the year in the First Division guarantees promotion as long as no serious errors are made. The biggest loser is Andrea Peña, the assistant who disallowed a Barça goal for a non-existent offside in the Clásico played at Montjuïc, a real disaster. The media coverage of this error sparked a rebellion among clubs against the refereeing standards, and the Liga F team called for radical changes for next season.
