{
  "id": 16311598,
  "title": "🚨Martínez Munuera to referee the Clásico with Iglesias Villanueva on VAR",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/martinez-munuera-to-referee-the-clasico-with-iglesias-villanueva-on",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-24T10:12:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/mart-nez-munuera-referee-cl-101200255.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The RFEF’s Technical Committee of Referees has selected Juan Martínez Munuera to officiate El Clásico between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, with Javier Iglesias in charge of VAR. This highly anticipated match is scheduled for tomorrow at 21:00 on Matchday 10 of LaLiga. In his career, Munuera has refereed four encounters between these two Spanish football giants, with three victories for Real Madrid and one for Barcelona.\n\nIn 2024, Real Madrid lodged a complaint against Munuera with the Disciplinary Committee, stating that he omitted chants of \"Vinicius, die\" in his match report during a game against Osasuna where he refereed. Looking ahead, the day's football action commences at 14:00 with Athletic–Getafe, refereed by Francisco Hernández, who will also oversee VAR duties. The Celta–Betis game kicks off at 16:15, under the watchful eyes of Isidro Díaz de Mera and Iván Caparrós.\n\nFollowing that, at 18:30, Real Sociedad will host Levante, with Javier Alberola acting as referee and Guillermo Cuadra responsible for VAR. The Spanish Football Federation’s announcement encompassed the selections for all four Sunday matches. The high-profile nature of Munuera and Iglesias overseeing this crucial fixture is understandable, particularly given the recurrent complaints submitted by Real Madrid regarding refereeing decisions.",
  "summary": "The RFEF’s Technical Committee of Referees has appointed Juan Martínez Munuera to referee El Clásico between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Javier Iglesias will oversee VAR for the match, which tak...",
  "key_points": [
    "Juan Martínez Munuera to referee El Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid",
    "Javier Iglesias in charge of VAR for the highly anticipated match",
    "Munuera has refereed four El Clásico matches, with three wins for Real Madrid"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Appointing a referee who has faced formal complaints from Real Madrid places the officiating crew under intense scrutiny for one of the most high-profile fixtures in Spanish football.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}