Real Madrid know who will be in the middle for the first competitive match of the José Mourinho era. Sánchez Martínez — José María Sánchez Martínez — has been appointed to referee Saturday's LaLiga opener between Espanyol and Real Madrid at the RCDE Stadium, kicking off at 21:30 CEST, with Figueroa Vázquez on VAR duty.
The appointment was reported by Bernabéu Digital, who describe the Murcian official as one of the most experienced referees in the Spanish top flight. It completes the picture for a night that carries more scrutiny than a matchday one usually does: Madrid start their season a week later than most of LaLiga, and they do so under a head coach taking charge of a competitive fixture at the club for the first time in 13 years.
Sánchez Martínez and the 2018 precedent
It will be the second time Sánchez Martínez has taken an Espanyol–Real Madrid fixture in the top division. The first, per the same report, came on 27 February 2018 at the RCDE Stadium, and it did not end well for Los Blancos: Espanyol won 1-0. One match is not a trend, but it is the only shared history the two clubs have with this particular official in LaLiga.
The refereeing conversation around Real Madrid has been loud all week for other reasons, with the Santiago Bernabéu left out of LaLiga's new referee protocol and the league's president returning to the subject of the club's complaints. Saturday moves the argument back onto the pitch.
Kick-off is 21:30 CEST (8:30pm BST), and the full list of broadcasters is here. Mourinho's first LaLiga team sheet of the season lands an hour before that.
