- Luis Medina Cantalejo was dismissed as head of the Spanish referees’ committee
- Real Madrid pushed for his removal through sustained criticism
- CTA will be restructured and jointly controlled by La Liga and the RFEF
Key Takeaways:
Luis Medina Cantalejo has been dismissed as head of the referees in Spanish football. For nearly four years, he led the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA). Alongside him, several other key figures have also been removed: Clos Gomez (head of VAR), Antonio Rubinos Perez (deputy chairman), and vice-presidents Lisondo Cortes, Gonzalez Vasquez, and Lesma Lopez. This change in CTA leadership had been expected.
❌MEDINA CANTALEJO, DESTITUIDO de la presidencia del CTA.
🗓️ El 2 de julio se presentará la nueva estructura.
🔙 Lo ha adelantado @JuanfeSanzPerez esta mañana. https://t.co/D1oSf2jotf pic.twitter.com/5lwxrdS8Dt
— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) June 26, 2025
Real Madrid has been the club pushing the most for Cantalejo’s dismissal in recent years, mainly through its club television channel, which continuously criticised him.
The Andalusian took over as CTA chairman at the end of 2021. The then-president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, appointed him following the departure of Velasco Carballo, who had joined UEFA.
Since taking office, Cantalejo aimed to reduce the awarding of soft penalties, especially those given after VAR intervention, as noted by AS. During his term, he also had to manage the “Negreira case” investigation, which involved Real Madrid’s biggest rival — Barcelona.
From next season, Spanish refereeing will enter a new era. Referees have formed a union to defend themselves from constant attacks by clubs like Real Madrid — attacks which the CTA attempted, unsuccessfully, to sanction. Moreover, the CTA will become a new, independent institution under the shared control of La Liga and the RFEF. It will no longer function solely under the federation. These changes aim to calm tensions with clubs and bring new faces into the leadership of the CTA with more clarity to be provided on 2nd July.