The Spanish Football Federation fired the entire refereeing committee

Spain has one of the world’s best football competitions, so something is always going on. One of the most recent news items relates to a referee committee in the country, fired up by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

Here’s everything you should know

What happened?

Based on multiple sources, the Spanish Football Federation decided to fire their entire refereeing committee. This decision came after many clubs in the country pressured the federation to make structural reforms.

Needless to say, referees are incredibly important, and there have been numerous scandals with them in La Liga over the years. Aside from having a crucial effect on what’s happening on the pitch, referees also have a role when it comes to football predictions and stats because many experts take the referee into account when predicting the outcome of a specific match.

Some referees are famous for being biased towards a specific team (especially in Spain) and they can have a huge impact on the overall score.

Following club pressure, the Spanish Football Federation decided to change everything from top to bottom. Luis Medina Cantalejo, the head of the Technical Committee of Referees, and Carlos Clos Gomzes, the head of CAE, are no longer in their positions. Alongside them, the authorities in Spain also released several vice presidents and other people. 

Instead, there will be a new leadership with a CEO and a sporting director. These people will overhaul the management of everything, including daily operations, promotions and so on. 

Many people probably expected the changes in the leading departments to affect the current referee pool. However, the authorities decided to keep these people in place, which will ensure continuity during the season. This applies to the referees in La Liga and in Spain’s second tier.

The official statement from the referees

After it became clear the Spanish Football Federation would take these drastic measures, the referees were quick to respond. According to the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the latter welcomed the new leadership in the Technical Committee of Referees.

July 2 will be an important date for Spanish football as the RFEF will present the new Technical Committee of Referees structure. 

An interesting fact is there was a panel of four clubs earlier this year whose goal was to reform the refereeing committee. Even though Real Madrid is one of the biggest names in Spain, they were not included. Some people believe it was due to the club’s harsh criticism on its media channel.

Speaking of Real Madrid, Los Blancos are still competing in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. The team are one of the favourites, but we are yet to see if they will be able to deal with some of the best clubs from around the world.