Real Madrid TV Claims 17 Referees Await Barcelona

Real Madrid Television launched a fierce attack on Barcelona ahead of their October 25 El Clásico clash at Camp Nou, claiming Los Blancos will face 17 referees on the pitch and in VAR alongside the entire 11-player squad. The broadcast escalation followed RefCam footage from Barcelona’s recent match against Real Betis.

Barcelona host Real Madrid at the Spotify Camp Nou on October 25

The latest fiery chapter in Spain’s premier fixture kicked off days before Barcelona host Real Madrid at the Spotify Camp Nou on October 25. Officiating already dominated the sporting headlines following a weekend of heavy disputes across La Liga fixtures, turning the spotlight squarely onto the referee’s whistle.

📰 Mundo Deportivo: 'Barça have the perfect response to all the noise surrounding El Clásico: keep talking on the pitch.First PSG in Paris, then Real Madrid at Camp Nou. Two enormous tests in five days.If Flick’s team comes through both playing the football we’ve seen so far,… pic.twitter.com/OFullSUOVX

— https://x.com/BarcaUniversal/status/2112463330157985838

Real Madrid Television Alleges 17 Opponents Await at Camp Nou.

The tension boiled over on Real Madrid’s official television channel, which dedicated a broadcast segment to dissecting refereeing decisions from Barcelona’s recent outing against Real Betis. Using audio captured by a referee-mounted “RefCam,” the program highlighted how several Catalan players surrounded official Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea to demand a review of a potential handball during the buildup to Giovani Lo Selso’s goal. The channel also defended Arda Guler regarding a controversy in the match against Sevilla, where Arda Guler was at the center of discussions after a duel with Pequeno, criticizing the attention given to this episode while claiming other situations involving the player were overlooked. The television station from the capital also expressed dismay over the lack of repercussions for these perceived infractions, connecting it to the anxieties surrounding the officiating for the upcoming match.

🚨 𝗡𝗘𝗪: Hernández Hernández will NOT referee El Clásico!The Referees Committee had initially selected him to officiate the match between Real Madrid and Barcelona.However, following the LEAK of his appointment, José Mourinho objected to the decision.The committee then… pic.twitter.com/iUhgNGLwEO

— https://x.com/TouchlineX/status/2112508639856472355

The channel used the episode to frame Hansi Flick’s players as active arbiters on the pitch.

Real Madrid will have to face 17 referees in the Clasico; 3 on the pitch, the fourth official, the video assistant referee and his assistant, in addition to 11 Barcelona players, who are also referees.

Real Madrid TV commentator, via Goal

The segment further argued that Barcelona players decide which actions are reviewed by VAR and enjoy free rein when approaching officials, while Madrid players are kept at a distance. The broadcast asserted that in any other league, there would have been consequences for such player interference.

Real Madrid denounces the favorable treatment of Barcelona by referees.

Alejandro Hernández Hernández named the official in the middle on Radio MARCA

Reaction among commentators was immediate.

Well that’s bad news … I don’t like him as a referee, I don’t like his history in the Clásicos. I see it as absolutely unnecessary. I think it’s a wrong decision.

Raúl Varela, MARCA host, via Sports Illustrated

Hernández, 43, is no stranger to the fixture, having previously officiated six Clásicos. Real Madrid has won just once in those prior meetings—back in the 2015–16 season—while Barcelona has claimed three victories alongside two draws. He most recently took charge of the sides’ May encounter at the end of the 2025–26 campaign. Throughout the matches he has overseen in this rivalry, he has previously issued a pair of red cards—one to Sergi Roberto during a 2–2 stalemate at Camp Nou in 2023 and another to Sergio Ramos in 2017—while maintaining an average of 3.3 yellow cards per Clásico.

Real Madrid TV Claims 17 Referees Await Barcelona — Photo: Yahoo

Rojas, 35, has overseen 168 La Liga matches and five fixtures across the season to date

Javier Alberola Rojas Also Linked to the Fixture.

Alternative reports across the Spanish football scene offered a different candidate for the weekend assignment.

Instagram

Rojas, 35, has overseen 168 La Liga matches and five fixtures across the season to date. His potential appointment brought a wave of media attention regarding his career history, including an old television appearance on the dating show Next when he was 19, his recovery from two vein blockages near the collarbone that sidelined him in late 2022 before returning in the Copa del Rey on 22 December in Caserenio vs Girona and in La Liga on 30 December in Getafe vs Mallorca, and his past participation in training with a company owned by Javier Enríquez Romero, son of José María Enríquez Negreira. According to Mundo Deportivo, the late Victoriano Sánchez Arminio was responsible for his appointment to UEFA’s CORE program in April 2018.

Whether Hernández or Rojas takes charge on Sunday, both clubs enter the weekend under heightened pressure. Real Madrid prepares for a Champions League fixture against RB Leipzig tomorrow night, while Barcelona faces Paris Saint-Germain, leaving the officiating dispute to simmer ahead of the 25 October kickoff build-up.