He saved the Clasico from chaos: how the referee stole the spotlight at Camp Nou
Another winner in the Clásico
Real Madrid, under José Mourinho, were not the only winners on the night at the Camp Nou. In a match charged with an atmosphere of unprecedented tension and pressure, Spanish football produced another winner no one had expected: the referee.
Kylian Mbappé's brace settled the Clásico summit for Real Madrid, but the night also handed a fresh victory to the Spanish refereeing whistle. Its hero was veteran international Juan Martínez Munuera, chosen to officiate the most important match of the season so far.
Unanimous praise
According to "Mundo Deportivo", the refereeing community in Spain is extremely satisfied with the Valencia official's display, particularly as he knew the scale of the tension that preceded the Barcelona encounter.
Munuera managed the match with enviable skill and composure, never flooding the pitch with cards. In 90 minutes of physical and tactical struggle, he showed only six yellows, three for each side, three of them in stoppage time for Mbappé, Huijsen and Adeyemi. Barcelona's Gordon and Baldé, along with Real Madrid's Tchouaméni, picked up cautions for offences relating purely to play.
Controversial incidents
The performance drew high praise, yet the match was not free of incidents that sparked debate. Cucurella caught Lamine Yamal with a strong challenge in the 37th minute, then Cancelo went in from behind on Diomande. Real Madrid complained about that one, angry that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) room, headed by Javier Iglesias Villanueva, never intervened.
Analysts believe Cancelo's challenge did not warrant a sending-off, though it deserved at least a yellow, just like Camavinga's challenge on Rodrygo, which the referee also overlooked. These remain minor details that did not dent the overall picture of a high-level performance.
Special protection and a secret appointment
Sources revealed that the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) wanted to protect Munuera's appointment by every means, working hard to keep it out of the media. He had emerged as a prominent candidate since the middle of last week, yet his official appointment to officiate the fifth Clásico of his career was not confirmed until Saturday.
That success reinforces the message the head of the refereeing body, Fran Soto, sought to convey recently, when he proudly hailed the Spanish referees as "the best in the world". On a night when everyone was waiting for refereeing errors, Munuera was the other big winner.
