According to Spanish media outlet ESdiario, three of the four referees who officiated Real Madrid's matches in the first four rounds of the 2026/27 La Liga season were initiators and founding members of the Spanish Football Referees Association (AESAF). This association had filed complaints against Real Madrid, Real Madrid TV, and club president Florentino Pérez earlier this year. The media outlet therefore questions whether there is a conflict of interest for these referees to continue officiating Real Madrid's matches.

In the first four rounds of this La Liga season, the referees for Real Madrid's matches were Mateo Busquets Ferrer (Round 1 against Real Sociedad), José María Alexis Martínez (Round 2 against Espanyol), Juan Martínez Munuera (Round 3 against Málaga), and Alejandro Hernández Hernández (Round 4 against Betis).

Among them, Alexis Martínez, Martínez Munuera, and Hernández Hernández are listed as initiators and founding members of AESAF. According to information published in the official Spanish gazette, they were among the eight referees who pushed for the establishment of this referees' association in 2025.

The report states that AESAF submitted two complaints to the Spanish National Anti-Violence, Anti-Racism, Anti-Xenophobia, and Anti-Intolerance in Sport Committee in May 2026. One was against Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, and the other was against Real Madrid TV and the Real Madrid club.

Furthermore, AESAF had also requested the Spanish Football Federation's Competition Committee to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Florentino Pérez, because the Real Madrid president had previously used terms such as "systemic corruption," "theft of titles," and "illegal enrichment" to criticize the Spanish refereeing system.

ESdiario believes that given the aforementioned disputes between AESAF and Real Madrid, the continued assignment of referees closely associated with the association to officiate Real Madrid matches could raise questions about conflicts of interest and the impartiality of the referees.

The assignment of referees for La Liga and Segunda División is handled by the Professional Matches Referees Committee, which is composed of Fran Soto, the president of the Referees' Technical Committee appointed by the Spanish Football Federation, Gregorio Manzano, designated by La Liga, and Fernando Teixeira Vitienes, chosen by mutual agreement. This season's referee assignments also receive candidate suggestions from an artificial intelligence system, but the final decision is still made by the aforementioned three individuals.

Of the referees who officiated Real Madrid's matches in the first four rounds, only Mateo Busquets Ferrer is not a founding member of AESAF. The other three, along with Pablo González Fuertes, Carlos del Cerro Grande, César Soto Grado, Guillermo Cuadra Fernández, and Jesús Gil Manzano, promoted the establishment of the association.

The report states that sources within Real Madrid believe that the repeated assignment of such referees just months after AESAF filed complaints damages the "appearance of impartiality" that matches should have. As of the time of publication, the Spanish Referees' Technical Committee has not publicly explained why it has not avoided assigning AESAF-related referees to officiate Real Madrid matches.

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