On 31 October a new chapter opens for Spanish football: starting from the Levante-Atlético Madrid match, the referees will have the opportunity to speak to the press. The initiative was confirmed by DAZN, which reached an economic agreement with the organizing body. In practice, the broadcasters who hold the broadcasting rights will be able to interview a referee for each day of the championship. With two broadcasters - Movistar and DAZN - two weekly interventions are therefore planned. For this weekend, in addition to the Levante-Atlético referee, he is expected to interview the Atlético-RealSociedad referee, according to news from MundoDeportivo.
The proposal was launched by the president of the Technical Committee of Referees, FranSoto, with the aim of improving communication between referees and fans and offering greater transparency on refereeing work. “We want our referees to be closer to the public and to be able to explain their decisions,” Soto explained in a brief statement. The initiative, which until now was not open to all journalists, provides for a progressive expansion of the number of journalists who will be able to interview referees, with the prospect of transforming into real press conferences.
In previous years, referees were only present at the press conferences before the finals of the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. Now, according to the new legislation, they will also be protagonists after each match, answering journalists' questions like footballers do. The idea is to make refereeing work clearer and more accessible, reducing controversies and improving understanding of decisions made on the field.
The first speech will take place after the Levante-Atlético match, while the Atlético-RealSociedad referee is expected to speak shortly after his match. The broadcasters involved, Movistar and DAZN, have agreed to guarantee coverage of these interviews, which should take place live or post-match. With this move, Spanish football is moving closer to greater openness and more direct communication with fans, laying the foundations for a future in which referees are increasingly transparent and accessible.