The Clásico held at the Camp Nou last night left Real Madrid as the winner, but also its referee, JuanMartínezMunuera, according to the CTA. The veteran referee, international and Valencian, was in charge of directing the most important match of the season and the referee committee was very satisfied with his performance.
The match, full of tension from the beginning, was developed with a discipline that surprised observers. MartínezMunuera showed only six yellow cards, three for each team, and three of them were awarded in added time to Mbappé, Huijsen and Adeyemi. The only players sanctioned for game actions were the Blaugranas Gordon and Balde, along with the Madrid player Tchouameni. Although there were incidents that could have merited sanctions, such as Cucurella's tackle on Lamine Yamal in the 37th minute or Cancelo's tackle on Diomande from behind, the referee remained calm and did not send off anyone involved. The VAR, operated by Javier Iglesias Villanueva, did not intervene in Cancelo's tackle, although the commission considered that it should have been sanctioned with a yellow card.
The referee demonstrated a high level of management, handling the pressure of being the center of attention. The CTA, for its part, protected the identity of MartínezMunuera against possible leaks about his appointment. Although he had been considered a favorite midway through last week, his official appointment was confirmed on Saturday, marking the fifth Clásico of his refereeing career.
FranSoto, president of the refereeing establishment, reinforced the message that Spanish referees are the best in the world, highlighting the performance of MartínezMunuera. The referee, with his experience and control of the game, contributed to the match developing in a fair and balanced manner, meeting the expectations of the fans and the commission.
With the final result in favor of Real Madrid, the Clásico concluded with a quality show and referee management that left those responsible for Spanish football satisfied. The next match of the season is already on the agenda, and the same level of professionalism is expected to be repeated in future matches.