Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu will be the only La Liga stadium where referees will not be permitted to give comments before or after matches during the coming season.
The policy is linked to restrictions imposed by Real Madrid on broadcasters’ television connections at the stadium, according to The Touchline, citing Sport. Those restrictions are understood to be incompatible with the refereeing committee’s new transparency protocol.
Under the new arrangements, referees will speak before and after matches at every other La Liga club stadium. The aim of the measure is to provide greater transparency around refereeing decisions and give additional explanation of incidents and judgments made during games.
The Santiago Bernabeu will therefore be the sole exception to the league-wide plan. While officials at other grounds will be able to provide comments around matches, that process will not be permitted at Real Madrid’s home stadium because of the limitations affecting broadcasters’ television connections.
The change applies specifically to comments from referees before and after fixtures. It represents a new approach from the refereeing committee, which is seeking to make decisions more transparent across La Liga.
Real Madrid’s La Liga campaign will begin with an away fixture against Espanyol. The match is scheduled for Saturday, 22 August.
The opening fixture means the club’s first league match of the season will not take place at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, when Real Madrid host La Liga matches at the stadium, referees will remain outside the new comments protocol that will operate at all other grounds.
The arrangement creates a clear difference between Real Madrid’s home matches and the rest of the league. At other La Liga stadiums, the planned pre-match and post-match comments will form part of the competition’s transparency measures. At the Santiago Bernabeu, those opportunities will not be available.
The information was reported by The Touchline, which referenced Sport in its account of the restrictions and their effect on the refereeing committee’s protocol. No other La Liga stadium has been identified as being subject to the same limitation.
For the rest of the competition, the intention is that referees will be able to address decisions surrounding matches before and after they are played. The stated purpose is to improve understanding of refereeing judgments and increase openness within La Liga.
Real Madrid will begin its campaign on the road at Espanyol on 22 August, before the issue becomes relevant to the club’s home fixtures at the Santiago Bernabeu.