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The referee for Sunday’s Clasico at the Spotify Camp Nou has not been nailed down yet, and that uncertainty is doing nothing to calm a week already dominated by officiating rows. Mundo Deportivo reported that the appointments committee of Fran Soto, Gregorio Manzano and Fernando Teixeira Vitienes settled on Javier Alberola Rojas last Monday. By Thursday the same paper was saying Juan Martinez Munuera had forced his way back into contention. Officials will confirm the name at midday on Saturday.
Journalist Edu Garcia, via Alfredo Martinez, also pointed to Alberola Rojas as the man set to lead the team of officials. Several Spanish outlets agree. Hansi Flick’s Barcelona host Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid six points clear at the top, so a win pushes the gap to nine. Whoever gets the whistle will have a long 90 minutes.
Martinez Munuera: four Clasicos, three Madrid wins
Munuera is in his twelfth season in the Spanish top flight and has held the international badge since 1 January 2015. Sunday would be his sixth La Liga appointment of the campaign. He has already handled Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Sevilla and Real Madrid’s 4-0 win against Malaga this season.
Give him the Clasico and it becomes his fifth. The previous four produced three Real Madrid wins and one for Barcelona.
| Date / competition | Fixture | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 24 October 2020, La Liga (Camp Nou) | Barcelona vs Real Madrid | 1-3, remembered for the contested Sergio Ramos penalty |
| 20 March 2022, La Liga round 29 | Real Madrid vs Barcelona | 0-4, Xavi Hernandez’s first big win over Madrid as coach |
| 2022-23 Copa del Rey semi-final, second leg | Real Madrid vs Barcelona | 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu |
| January 2024, Spanish Super Cup final | Real Madrid vs Barcelona | 4-1 |
Beyond the head to heads, his league sample with both clubs is large. Munuera has refereed 37 Barcelona league matches: 24 wins, 6 draws, 7 defeats, two of those losses coming against Madrid. He has taken charge of 46 Real Madrid league games: 30 wins, 9 draws, 7 defeats. No side in La Liga has played more often under him than Real Madrid.
Alberola Rojas: no Clasico on the CV
At 35, Alberola Rojas has been a La Liga referee since 2017 and has handled five top-flight games this season. He has never refereed a competitive Clasico. That alone makes the appointment a talking point, because a first Clasico at the Camp Nou with the title race on the line is about as heavy a debut as the job offers.
He is also one of the more lenient officials in the division. The 2024/25 Vicente Acevedo Trophy winner averaged 3.6 yellow cards per match against a competition average of 4.85, and awards roughly 0.32 penalties per game.
| Club | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona | 13 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 77% |
| Real Madrid | 19 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 63% |
Barcelona won all three of their league games under him last season: 4-2 against Celta Vigo, 2-0 against Villarreal and 3-0 against Levante. On the Madrid side, his recent file includes their 5-2 hammering by Atletico Madrid in September 2025 and a 1-1 draw with Girona in April 2026.
The flashpoints people keep bringing up
The Villarreal game in December 2025 was the busiest of his Barcelona assignments. Alberola pointed to the spot after Santi Comesana caught Raphinha, then sent off Renato Veiga for a dangerous tackle on Lamine Yamal. Marcelino disputed the red card afterwards; most observers thought it was correct.
Older grudges run deeper. In the 2-2 draw with Real Sociedad in December 2019 he gave the hosts a penalty for a shirt pull by Sergio Busquets, then waved away a near identical incident involving Gerard Pique at the other end. Inconsistency inside a single match is the kind of thing Barcelona fans still cite, and honestly it is a fairer criticism than any bias narrative built on win percentages.
What actually decides the officiating battle on Sunday
Win rates prove nothing about favouritism. We think the numbers are a distraction. The real question is how the referee treats physical duels and tactical fouls, because that is where this fixture gets decided. Barcelona’s build-up leans on Pedri and Lamine Yamal getting protection when opponents chop down attacking moves before they start. Flick’s side also need to keep their own counter-press clean and avoid the cheap stoppages they use to kill Madrid transitions, especially under an official who is reluctant to reach for his pocket in the first place.
A low card average cuts both ways. Fewer yellows can mean a flowing game, or it can mean repeated fouling goes unpunished until frustration boils over. For bettors eyeing cards and penalty markets, Alberola’s 3.6 per game and 0.32 penalties per game are the figures to price around, while Munuera’s heavier Clasico history suggests a tighter, more interventionist afternoon. If you want the terminology behind those markets, our sports betting glossary covers it, and newcomers can start with how to bet on sports.
Three points on Sunday puts Barcelona nine clear. That is the stake, and it is big enough that any contentious call will be replayed for weeks. Keep an eye out for the official confirmation at midday on Saturday.