Good news for Real Madrid: the Spanish federation announces the Clasico referee
Is Barcelona worried?
The referees' technical committee of the Spanish federation has handed Juan Martinez Munuera the Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, this Sunday, in the tenth round of La Liga.
The decision lands in a charged atmosphere, both on the pitch and among the officials, after the controversy of recent rounds.
Javier Iglesias Villanueva will assist Munuera from the video assistant referee room.
According to the Spanish newspaper "Marca", this will be the fifth time 44-year-old Juan Martinez Munuera has taken charge of a Clasico in a career spanning 14 seasons in the Spanish first division.
History favours Real Madrid. They have won three of the four matches the referee has officiated: 3-1 in La Liga in 2020, 4-0 in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final in 2023, and 4-1 in the Spanish Super Cup final in 2024.
Barcelona's one triumph came in 2022, a 4-0 league win.
Munuera has already handled one match apiece for Barcelona and Real Madrid this season.
He took charge of the Catalans away to Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, where Barcelona ran out 3-1 winners, and he oversaw Real Madrid's 4-0 dismantling of Malaga at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Across his career, the Alicante official has refereed Real Madrid 46 times, with 30 wins, 9 draws and 7 defeats for Los Blancos.
Barcelona's record under him reads 40 matches, 27 wins, 6 draws and 7 defeats.
Video technology
Javier Iglesias Villanueva, 43, takes charge of the video assistant referee technology for the Clasico.
The Eumes official has worked on the video technology staff since the 2024-2025 season.
Real Madrid aimed criticism at Iglesias in February 2025. Working in the video room during Espanyol's clash with Real Madrid, he declined to send referee Munuera Ruiz to the monitor over a possible red card for Carlos Romero, following his tackle from behind on Kylian Mbappe.
