Spanish arbitration experiences two realities. That ofl national level, marked by criticism and complaints by a large part of the teams regarding the criterion of signaling penalties per hand or the use of the VAR, and that of the international scene, where the Spanish braids They have achieved great prestige with Mateu Lahoz at the helm. The Valencian referee was in charge of whistling the Champions League final between Chelsea and City and is one of the candidates to be in the next final of the European Championship if Spain is not present.
The end of the season has been convulsive in terms of controversy. With the objectives of the season at stake, there have been several teams that have criticized the decisions of the braids, especially those relating to the hands within the area. Which has led many players and coaches to admit not understanding the regulations and when they are whistled or not. “It has been a very difficult season due to the media noise in the last third of the season. It is not good for the refereeing team or for Spanish football,” said Velasco Carballo, president of the referees. Who asked for respect for all braids: “Successes are criticized. Not everything can count. In this country, successes become scandals. We ask for respect.” The appointment of Mateu and his great performance in the Champions League final between Chelsea and City has been a great support for the course and the work of the Spanish Referees Committee. The Valencian braid overcame the final with an outstanding performance, successfully solving all the plays that occurred and without needing the help of the VAR to rule that there was no penalty by James' hand. (The ball hit his arm after it bounced off his own body, something that the regulations indicate is not punishable). A designation and a performance to highlight the great international prestige of this group, despite the criticism received at the national level.
The Spanish braids have been one of the most demanded by UEFA for the Champions League. They have whistled up to 14 games since the group stage, being the second federation that more collegiate has contributed to the maximum competition. Only the Netherlands surpasses us, with 20 games between their referees, mainly those whistled by Kuipers (9) and Makkelie (8). Although it must be taken into account that the great presence of these referees not only responds to their high level, but the Netherlands has only been represented in the Champions League by Ajax and was eliminated in the group stage. This has made it easier for the Dutch referees to be appointed both in the league and in the final phase. Still, the 14 appointments for Spanish referees on the pitch (Mateu, Del Cerro and Gil Manzano) place them ahead of other powers such as Germany (13), France (9), Italy (9) and England (7). In the VAR, the Spanish are also among the most requested. Up to 21 times They have been at the forefront of video refereeing this season, second only to Germany, which has had 22 nominations.
Plenary in the big tournaments
The summer will be full of international commitments for the Spanish referees. In the Eurocup, Mateu Lahoz will be on the pitch (with his assistants Díaz Pérez del Palomar and Cebrián Devis) and Del Cerro (and his team Yuste Jiménez and Alonso Fernández); in the VAR will be Martínez Munuera, Hernández Hernández and Sánchez Martínez, in addition to Prieto López de Cerain as AVAR. But the Spanish appointments do not end in Europe, for the first time a UEFA referee will whistle in the Copa América. For this unprecedented event, the chosen one has been Gil Manzano, who will attend together with his assistants Barbero Sevilla and Nevado Rodríguez, as well as De Burgos Bengoetxea and Munuera Montero, who will help you from the VAR. Finally, Cuadra Fernández has been chosen as one of the VAR referees for the Olympic Games. In total, sixteen Spaniards, eight of them field referees in LaLiga, will represent our country as referees in the great summer events of this 2021.