Conversations between on-field referees and the Video Assistant Referee during Spanish football matches will now be made public following a comprehensive review of the system.
This initiative, an agreement between La Liga and the Spanish FA, aims to enhance transparency in professional football refereeing.
The discussions that occur when on-field referees are called to the pitchside monitor for incident reviews will be accessible to broadcasters the day after the matches.
The project is set to debut during the Spanish Supercopa next month, organized by the Spanish FA, featuring Real Madrid against Atletico Madrid on January 10 and Barcelona against Osasuna the following day in Saudi Arabia.
“This initiative marks a new era of collaboration and collective work between the RFEF and [refereeing body] CTA and LaLiga, with the aim of bringing greater transparency to professional football refereeing, and the competitions themselves,” the statement from La Liga and the Spanish FA said.
“In this sense, with the broadcasting of the images and audio once each day of competition is completed [Saturday, Sunday and Monday] the fans’ experience will improve and a greater understanding of refereeing decisions will be enabled on behalf of television viewers, thus improving the competitions as a whole.
“In the next few days, the RFEF and LaLiga will publish more information and educational materials on social media to help fans and the media understand how this new dynamic will work.”
The broadcasting of conversations will extend to the top two divisions of Spanish football, beginning with the clash between Sevilla and Alaves on January 12.
La Liga governs the top two divisions, while the Spanish FA oversees the Copa del Rey, Spanish Supercopa, and lower-tier leagues.
Despite past disagreements, this initiative marks a collaborative effort between the two organizations to humanize referees and provide insights into officiating decisions.
