Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images
La Liga have introduced a new rule this season under which referees will give pre-match and post-match interviews during broadcasts to explain their decisions.
However, according to SPORT, the new transparency protocol will apply to 19 grounds in the league, but not the Santiago Bernabéu.
The Bernabeu has been excluded because of Madrid’s restrictions concerning broadcasters’ connections at the stadium.
Referees to speak at other La Liga grounds
The initiative represents a significant change in how refereeing is presented to supporters.
Under the new protocol, officials will be available before and after matches to speak during broadcasts, including providing explanations around decisions made during games.
The objective is to create greater transparency around refereeing, an issue that has generated considerable debate in Spanish football.
Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid's stadium
Santiago Bernabéu will not follow the new referee protocol. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
However, viewers watching league matches from the Bernabeu will not receive the same access.
Bernabeu stands alone
What makes the situation particularly striking is that Madrid are the only exception across the entire league.
All 19 other La Liga venues are expected to participate in the protocol.
That creates an unusual scenario where the level of access to match officials will depend on whether a fixture is being played at the Bernabéu.
For Madrid supporters, that means potentially important refereeing decisions from home matches will not receive the same immediate on-air explanation available elsewhere.
Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid home ground
The new transparency protocol will apply to 19 grounds in La Liga. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Whatever the reasoning behind Madrid’s broadcasting restrictions, having one stadium operate differently is hardly ideal for a protocol designed around transparency.
Consistency should be one of the most important parts of any league-wide refereeing initiative, especially given how often Madrid have felt hard done by when it comes to refereeing decisions.
If officials are going to explain decisions publicly, then Madrid will be at a disadvantage for exactly half the games they play in the season.
Every single time a controversial decision is given against Los Blancos in the upcoming season, this topic will be up for discussion.
Unless an agreement is eventually reached over the broadcasting restrictions, Real Madrid’s home matches will begin the season outside a transparency initiative operating everywhere else in La Liga.
Real Madrid in line for 50% windfall as Nottingham Forest target former Castilla starlet with release clause over €30 million
Javi Rueda, Celta Vigo player
Photo by Diogo Cardoso/Getty Images
Real Madrid’s habit of including sell-on clauses in most Castilla sales they make is seeing them profit massively this summer transfer window.
Los Blancos have put a lot of emphasis on using their academy to fund their first team, and this is a strategy that has worked really well so far.
Now, according to Radio Galega (h/t Madrid Zone), Madrid could be handed an unexpected financial boost before the end of the transfer window.
Premier League club Nottingham Forest are interested in signing Celta Vigo defender Javi Rueda, and this could benefit Madrid.
Forest set sights on former Castilla starlet
The English club are showing interest in the 23-year-old, whose release clause at Celta is worth more than €30 million.
Rueda came through Real Madrid’s youth system before continuing his career away from the Santiago Bernabeu.
Javi Rueda, Celta Vigo player
Javi Rueda played for the Real Madrid academy. (Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images)
Crucially for Madrid, they are entitled to 50 per cent of the future transfer fee.
With a release clause exceeding €30 million, there is potentially a substantial amount of money at stake.
If a transfer were eventually completed for €30 million, for example, Madrid’s 50 percent share would theoretically be worth around €15 million.
However, this is just a hypothetical calculation, and the transfer formula and various other factors could determine the sell-on fee.
Another example of Madrid’s academy strategy
This is exactly why Real Madrid have increasingly looked to preserve future economic rights when allowing talented academy players to leave.
Not every youngster can establish himself in the first team, particularly given the level of competition in Madrid’s squad.
Javi Rueda, Celta Vigo player
Javi Rueda is wanted by Nottingham Forest. (Photo by Diogo Cardoso/Getty Images)
Rather than simply losing those players, the club can sell them while retaining percentages that become valuable if their careers continue to progress elsewhere.
Rueda could now become another example of that strategy paying off.
Potential boost for Madrid’s transfer plans
While the sale of Rueda has not gone through, should it do so, it would allow Madrid to use those funds in the summer transfer window.
Los Blancos do have another problem to address, which is their squad size, but financially, there should be no issue.
In a strange sense, this can also be seen as a win for Madrid and Castilla to see so many of their graduates go on to succeed elsewhere.
Some of Madrid’s best eras have been built on this foundation, and it remains to be seen whether Jose Mourinho’s second stint at the club goes on to enjoy the same kind of success in the coming years.