The Technical Committee of Referees has assigned the Canarian Alejandro Hernández Hernández as the main referee of the next Basque derby to be held in SanMamés between Athletic Club and RealSociedad. The decision occurs in a context of balance between both teams, who face each other for the second time under the same authority in the season.
Hernández Hernández, who already has extensive experience in the elite of Spanish football, has pressured 29 matches in which he has been the referee for Athletic and 26 in which he has directed Real. In his history with the Basque club, the referee has recorded 12 victories, 4 draws and 10 defeats, while with Real he has obtained 14 victories, 5 draws and 10 defeats. Despite the balanced figure, Real has not achieved a victory under his supervision since the beginning of 2024, accumulating almost three years without victory in their meetings with him.
The referee has also been in charge of the only time that Real Sociedad faced Athletic in a derby under his command, in the 2018/19 season. In that match, held in SanMamés, Real won 3‑1 thanks to a double from MikelOyarzabal and a goal from LucaSangalli, canceling out IkerMuniain's first goal. That result has remained engraved in the memory of both clubs and will be remembered with special attention in the next match.
To complement the referee team, Carlos del Cerro Grande, from the Madrid school, will be responsible for the VAR. The combination of both referees aims to ensure impartial and high-quality refereeing in a match that promises to be decisive for the league classification.
With the official designation, fans can now anticipate that the duel will be played under the gaze of a referee who knows both teams intimately and who, despite their mixed history, has demonstrated his ability to manage high-pressure matches. The next day at SanMamés promises to be a spectacle of Basque rivalry with the certainty of balanced and professional refereeing.