Referee appointment data shows Madrid committee heavily involved in Barcelona matches – Report | OneFootball

Following the defeats to Atletico Madrid and Girona, the issue of refereeing is in the spotlight in the narrative surrounding FC Barcelona. The Catalans have been concerned by some refereeing inconsistencies that have gone against them in both these games.

In such a context, everything related to the referees is naturally going to be magnified, and one such issue has been raised in a report from Mundo Deportivo, which highlights a striking pattern this season, with a high concentration of Madrid-based referees involved in Barcelona matches across domestic competitions.

The Blaugrana have played 30 official games in Spain this campaign, excluding Champions League fixtures, and four regional refereeing committees have been repeatedly represented.

The Galician and Canary Islands committees top the list with 14 appointments each, either as on-field referees or VAR officials. They are followed closely by the Andalusian and Madrid committees, both with 13 appointments.

While these numbers are influenced by referee category and availability, the Madrid figure stands out when compared with other regions, such as Cantabria, with four, and Extremadura, with five, and is double the total from La Rioja and Asturias.

Madrid referees have acted as the main officials in matches against Alavés and Oviedo. Their remaining involvement has come through VAR duties in La Liga fixtures against Oviedo, Sevilla, Celta, Osasuna, Villarreal, Real Sociedad, Elche, and Girona.

Notably, the last three of those appointments came consecutively between matchdays 21 and 24, further fuelling debate among Barcelona supporters.

Their presence has also extended to knockout competitions. Madrid officials handled VAR responsibilities in Copa del Rey ties against Racing de Santander and Albacete, while a referee from that committee served as an assistant in the Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid. That final was overseen by a main referee from the Canary committee and also included a second assistant from the Catalan committee.

The scrutiny is intensified by the wider context surrounding refereeing in Spain. Former official Megía Dávila, who belonged to the Madrid committee during his career, has recently taken up a role as refereeing advisor at Real Madrid.

In an interview with Marca, he openly stated that he has been a Madrid supporter since childhood and admitted he would have liked to referee a Clásico, comments that have only heightened tensions in Barcelona.

Against this backdrop, it is also notable that a Catalan referee has taken charge of a Barcelona match on the pitch just once all season. That exception came in the derby victory over Espanyol at Cornellà El Prat on matchday 18. Even then, the VAR team was made up of officials from the Canary and Galician committees.

Taken together, the data does not prove bias, but the volume and timing of Madrid-linked appointments have added another layer to Barcelona’s grievances at a moment when trust in refereeing criteria is already fragile.