Real Madrid begin their 2026/27 La Liga campaign with a difficult trip to the RCDE Stadium, where Espanyol are already carrying momentum after an impressive opening weekend. For The VAR Verdict, however, one of the most interesting parts of Saturday night’s match is the referee appointment.
José María Sánchez Martínez has been selected as the Espanyol vs Real Madrid referee, with Jorge Figueroa Vázquez in charge of VAR. It is an experienced refereeing team for a fixture that has produced difficult physical duels, penalty appeals and important disciplinary decisions in the past.
The match takes place on Saturday, August 22 at 21:30 local time in Barcelona. Although it will be Real Madrid’s first league game of the season, this is officially Matchday 2. Madrid’s opening fixture against Real Sociedad was moved to August 26 because of their delayed start following the summer schedule.
Who is the referee for Espanyol vs Real Madrid?
José María Sánchez Martínez will be the referee at the RCDE Stadium.
The official refereeing team is:
Referee: José María Sánchez Martínez
Assistant referee 1: Raúl Cabañero Martínez
Assistant referee 2: Juan José López Mir
Fourth official: Pablo Monterrubio
VAR: Jorge Figueroa Vázquez
AVAR: Rubén Ávalos Barrera
Referee observer: Antxón Uzcudun
The full appointment was confirmed by the Technical Committee of Referees of the Spanish Football Federation.
This is not a low profile appointment. Sánchez Martínez is one of the most experienced active referees in Spanish football. Born in Lorca in 1983, he has worked in La Liga since 2015 and received FIFA international status in 2017. He has also handled Champions League matches, major domestic fixtures and the 2023 Copa del Rey final.
José María Sánchez Martínez referee statistics
Sánchez Martínez remains a referee who generally allows a reasonable level of physical competition but is not reluctant to move into disciplinary control when a match becomes repetitive or confrontational.
During the 2025/26 La Liga season, statistical databases recorded him at roughly 17 league appointments, around 80 yellow cards and two red cards. That works out at approximately 4.7 yellow cards per match, with more than 27 fouls called per game.
Those numbers are important for Espanyol against Real Madrid. Espanyol committed 17 fouls in their opening victory against Levante, while their style at home can involve aggressive pressure, quick challenges after possession is lost and plenty of physical contact in midfield.
Sánchez Martínez normally tries to manage the opening stages before escalating punishment. The key for him will be distinguishing ordinary physical contact from tactical fouls that stop promising attacks. If those fouls begin early, particularly against players such as Vinícius Júnior or Kylian Mbappé in transition, the disciplinary threshold could become one of the biggest refereeing stories of the game.
Sánchez Martínez’s record with Real Madrid
There is plenty of history between Sánchez Martínez and Real Madrid.
According to Transfermarkt’s referee database, he has taken charge of 42 Real Madrid matches, producing 27 Madrid victories, seven draws and eight defeats. That is a substantial sample and makes him one of the referees most familiar with the pressure surrounding Madrid fixtures.
Last season alone he handled several Real Madrid league games. Madrid beat Mallorca 2 to 1 at the Bernabéu in August 2025, lost 2 to 1 away to Mallorca in April 2026 and then defeated Sevilla 1 to 0 in May.
The numbers do not show a referee with an obviously unusual Real Madrid result pattern. More importantly, Sánchez Martínez has significant experience dealing with the speed, pressure and scrutiny that comes with Madrid matches.
He has also taken charge of major Real Madrid occasions during his career, including the second leg of the 2017 Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona and the 2023 Copa del Rey final.
The Espanyol statistic that makes this appointment interesting
There is a particularly interesting precedent.
Sánchez Martínez has already refereed an Espanyol vs Real Madrid match at this stadium, and Espanyol won it.
That game came on February 27, 2018. Gerard Moreno scored in stoppage time as Espanyol defeated Real Madrid 1 to 0 at the RCDE Stadium, with Sánchez Martínez as the referee.
His wider record with Espanyol is remarkably balanced. Transfermarkt lists 13 Espanyol matches under Sánchez Martínez, with five wins, three draws and five defeats.
One of his Espanyol appointments last season also ended in a home victory, 1 to 0 against Rayo Vallecano in December. It became a heavily disciplined match, another reminder that Sánchez Martínez is willing to use cards once game management begins to break down.
Historical records never determine what will happen in the next match, but the 2018 precedent makes this appointment more interesting than a normal early season refereeing assignment.
Why Espanyol could create difficult decisions
Espanyol arrive with confidence after beating Levante 3 to 0 in their opening match.
Roberto Fernández scored twice and Tyrhys Dolan added the third. Espanyol produced 16 shots while restricting Levante to only four, and Manolo González’s team looked organised without the ball and dangerous when attacking space.
From a refereeing perspective, their intensity is the important part.
Espanyol are unlikely to give Real Madrid comfortable possession around the penalty area. Challenges around Mbappé and Vinícius could produce difficult questions about contact, holding, late tackles and the exact location of fouls.
Sánchez Martínez will also have to manage the emotional temperature of the RCDE Stadium. Madrid’s technical players naturally attract repeated challenges, while Espanyol cannot afford to feel that every physical duel is being interpreted in favour of the visitors.
That balance is often where experienced referees earn their rating.
What should Sánchez Martínez watch with Vinícius and Mbappé?
The most difficult decisions could come when Real Madrid accelerate.
A defender making contact with an attacker is not automatically a foul. Sánchez Martínez must judge the consequence of the contact, whether the defender genuinely challenges for the ball and whether the attacker’s movement is actually affected.
Vinícius creates another problem because defenders frequently attempt to stop him before he reaches full speed. One isolated foul may not require a yellow card. Several tactical fouls by the same defender or different players used deliberately to break transitions can become a disciplinary issue.
Mbappé presents a different challenge. His acceleration means apparently minor contact can have a major effect when he is travelling at speed. The referee has to judge the action rather than the size of the fall.
This is exactly the type of match where consistency matters more than simply producing a low card count.
Penalty area decisions could define the night
There are several types of situations The VAR Verdict will be watching closely.
Holding at corners is one. Blocking and prolonged shirt pulling are very different from normal mutual contact between attacker and defender. If the holding clearly restricts an opponent’s ability to challenge for the ball, Sánchez Martínez must be prepared to punish it.
Handball is another obvious area. The referee and VAR must consider arm position, movement towards the ball, proximity and whether the player’s action makes the body unnaturally bigger. A freeze frame alone should never determine a handball decision.
Finally, challenges on fast attackers inside the penalty area will require a high threshold of evidence. VAR should not re referee a subjective decision simply because slow motion makes contact look more dramatic.
The correct standard remains a clear and obvious error.
Jorge Figueroa Vázquez will control the VAR
Jorge Figueroa Vázquez has been appointed as VAR, with Rubén Ávalos as AVAR. Figueroa is now a specialist video match official after previously working as a referee on the field in Primera División. The RFEF lists him among its dedicated professional VAR officials.
He also has experience working with Sánchez Martínez. The pair were part of the officiating team for Real Sociedad against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey, with Sánchez Martínez on the field and Figueroa in the VAR room.
That familiarity can be valuable. Effective VAR work depends on communication and on understanding when intervention is actually necessary.
For this match, the best possible VAR performance may be a quiet one.
Intervention should come only for a clear and obvious error involving a goal, penalty, direct red card or mistaken identity. Subjective decisions that fall within an acceptable refereeing interpretation should remain with Sánchez Martínez.
New La Liga technology adds another refereeing factor
The 2026/27 season also introduces an important technological change.
La Liga is using its new Connected Ball technology in every top flight match. A sensor inside the official match ball can provide extremely precise information about the position of the ball and the exact moment contact occurs, offering additional data that can assist refereeing decisions.
This could be especially useful for tight offside situations and incidents where the timing of a touch is critical.
La Liga is also increasing referee transparency this season through initiatives including referee interviews and RefCam coverage at selected matches.
The direction is clear. Refereeing decisions are becoming a larger part of the match broadcast rather than something explained only after controversy begins.
The VAR Verdict prediction for Sánchez Martínez
Sánchez Martínez is a logical appointment for this game.
Espanyol have started the season strongly, Real Madrid arrive for their first competitive league match, and the RCDE Stadium can create a demanding atmosphere. This requires a referee with enough experience to avoid being influenced by either the occasion or the reaction to individual decisions.
The main challenge will be establishing a consistent foul threshold from the beginning.
If he allows physical contact, he must allow comparable contact at both ends. If repeated tactical fouls begin stopping Real Madrid’s transitions, disciplinary action must arrive before the match becomes difficult to control. Inside the penalty area, the priority should be judging actual football actions rather than reacting to exaggerated contact or isolated slow motion images.
For VAR, restraint will be equally important.
Sánchez Martínez should remain the primary decision maker. Figueroa Vázquez should intervene only when the evidence clearly demonstrates that an important decision is wrong.
That approach would fit what VAR was designed to do.
Espanyol against Real Madrid may be Real Madrid’s first La Liga appearance of the new season, but from a refereeing perspective it already looks like one of the most interesting appointments of the opening weeks.
The VAR Verdict will analyse every major refereeing and VAR incident after the final whistle.
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