Real Madrid once again skip key La Liga and RFEF meeting to discuss refereeing ecosystem | OneFootball

Real Madrid was once again absent from a key meeting between the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), La Liga and Spain’s professional clubs, as officials gathered to discuss proposed changes ahead of the 2026-27 season, reports AS.

The summit, held as the 2025-26 campaign officially came to a close, brought together representatives from clubs across the First and Second Divisions to address several issues, including the future of Spanish refereeing.

Real Madrid’s absence continues

Although Real Madrid were not the only club missing from the meeting, their absence attracted particular attention given its ongoing disagreements with Spanish football authorities.

Burgos CF informed organisers that they would not attend, while Cadiz, despite initially confirming their participation, were ultimately unable to be present.

Real Madrid continue to boycott RFEF-La Liga meetings (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Real Madrid, however, neither confirmed nor formally declined the invitation after being asked to complete the attendance form, and did not send any representatives to the gathering.

Refereeing reform remains a point of disagreement

Real Madrid’s absence follows a pattern that has developed over the past year.

In February 2025, the RFEF organized the first major meeting involving all professional men’s clubs, La Liga and the refereeing body to begin discussions on reforms to Spain’s officiating system.

Real Madrid were the most notable absentee from that initial summit.

Despite that, RFEF president Rafael Louzan later persuaded the club to participate in the refereeing reform committee, even though Los Blancos had not been selected through the clubs’ voting process.

Real Madrid are unhappy with the refereeing system in Spain. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

For several months, the club attended meetings and took part in discussions before eventually withdrawing toward the end of 2025 as disagreements with the new refereeing leadership intensified.

“These Meetings Are Useless”

Real Madrid had already made their position clear earlier this year.

After skipping another such meeting in March, the club informed the RFEF that “these meetings are useless,” effectively ending their involvement in the ongoing discussions surrounding refereeing reform.

Today’s summit followed the same pattern. Representatives from nearly every professional club attended alongside senior officials from La Liga and the RFEF.

But Real Madrid chose not to participate, continuing their public distance from the Federation’s current reform process as they remain unhappy with the refereeing setup in Spain.