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RFEF Names Lawyer-Referee Francisco Soto to Overhaul Spanish Officiating

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Updated Jul 2, 2025, 12:58 PM

The Real Federación Española de Fútbol on 2 July appointed Francisco Soto Balirac as president of the Comité Técnico de Árbitros, moving quickly to rebuild Spain’s refereeing hierarchy one week after dismissing Luis Medina Cantalejo and his senior team.

Soto, 45, is a tax lawyer and partner at Garrigues who spent 2002-15 refereeing in Spain’s lower divisions and recently served as delegate of the Galician referees’ committee. He becomes the first non-top-flight former referee to lead the CTA, the body responsible for selecting, evaluating and training match officials across domestic competitions.

Unveiling the appointment at the Ciudad del Fútbol in Las Rozas, RFEF president Rafael Louzán called Soto’s decision to leave private practice “very risky” but praised his “management, leadership and ability to build bridges.” Soto urged stakeholders to “reset the counter to zero,” saying “el nivel del arbitraje español es de lo mejorcito a nivel mundial,” and pledged to leave behind disputes such as Real Madrid TV’s critical videos and the long-running ‘Negreira’ probe.

The reshuffle, which also removed VAR chief Carlos Clos Gómez and several vice-presidents, forms part of a broader plan to modernise officiating. The federation aims to publish referees’ grades, deploy artificial intelligence in match assignments and foster greater transparency—measures it hopes will restore credibility ahead of the 2025-26 season and ease tensions with clubs.

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#Francisco Soto Balirac #Comité Técnico de Árbitros #Spain #Luis Medina Cantalejo #Soto #Garrigues #Galician #Ciudad del Fútbol #Las Rozas #RFEF #Rafael Louzán #Real Madrid TV #Negreira #VAR #Carlos Clos Gómez

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Sources

mundodeportivo.com(2)as.com(2)elmundo.es elconfidencial.com

EL MUNDO

@elmundoes

Attorney Fran Soto, partner at the law firm Garrigues, is the new chief referee

El Confidencial

@elconfidencial

The turn of the Federation with the referees: Fran Soto, a technocrat trying to stop the crisis. The RFEF appointed Fran Soto as the new president of referees of the CTA. Lawyer by profession, former referee in regional categories

Madrid Universal

@MadridUniversal

❗️Official: Francisco Soto Balirac is the new president of the Spanish Referees Committee. He was a referee in the lower categories and is now a lawyer.

Story Timeline

12 days ago•Latest version

RFEF Names Lawyer-Referee Francisco Soto to Overhaul Spanish Officiating

12 days ago•Original version

Spanish FA Installs Francisco Soto as New Referees Chief in Wider Shake-Up

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RFEF Names Lawyer-Referee Francisco Soto to Overhaul Spanish Officiating

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