José María Sánchez Martínez is a Spanish football referee born in Lorca (Murcia), Spain on 3 October 1983. He made his La Liga debut on 29 August 2015 and has been FIFA-listed since 2017.
José María Sánchez Martínez is a Spanish football referee born in Lorca (Murcia), Spain on 3 October 1983. He made his La Liga debut on 29 August 2015 and has been FIFA-listed since 2017. He is part of the current top-flight refereeing pool in Spain and is regularly relevant for pre-match analysis, appointment previews and VAR-focused discussion.
In the 2025/26 La Liga season, Sánchez Martínez has officiated 10 league matches, averaging 27.20 fouls, 0.50 penalties, 4.40 yellow cards and 0.30 red cards per game. Those numbers point to a high-intervention profile, with a high foul count and frequent stoppages, and a noticeable tendency to point to the spot. For The VAR Verdict, that statistical snapshot helps readers understand the disciplinary threshold and general tone he has shown this season.
José María Sánchez Martínez is presented with a data-first profile based on publicly available information and the statistics entered in the referee database.
Referee style: High-intervention.
