The Spanish Referees Committee is leaning toward appointing Alejandro Hernández Hernández to officiate the upcoming El Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, scheduled for October 25 at the Spotify Camp Nou, according to Marca, pending official confirmation.
The choice has reignited tension among a large section of Barcelona supporters, who still harbor bitter memories of the Canarian referee, despite his overall statistics with the Catalan club appearing distinctly positive.
The last El Clásico officiated by Hernández Hernández took place on May 10, 2026, when Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 2-0 with goals from Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres—a match that sealed the Catalan side’s second consecutive La Liga title.
The referee has previously overseen six clashes between the two rivals: a 2-1 Real Madrid win in 2016, a 2-2 draw in 2018, a goalless draw in 2019, a 2-1 Real Madrid victory in 2021, a 4-3 Barcelona win in 2025, and Barcelona’s 2-0 victory in 2026. This leaves a balanced tally of two wins for each side and two draws, with Barcelona scoring 10 goals to Real Madrid’s 9.
The main source of frustration for Barcelona stems from the May 2025 El Clásico, where the club protested a denied penalty after Aurélien Tchouaméni blocked a Ferran Torres shot with an outstretched arm—while the Frenchman was already on a yellow card—along with a late Fermín López goal ruled out following a VAR intervention.
Despite being widely unpopular in Catalan circles, Real Madrid also hold a long list of grievances against the official, most notably the two unawarded penalties claimed by Raphaël Varane during the 0-0 draw in 2019, making Hernández Hernández a constant figure of skepticism for both sets of fans.
By the end of last season, Barcelona’s record under his whistle stood at 41 matches with 25 wins, 12 draws, and just four defeats. Meanwhile, he has refereed 37 matches involving Real Madrid, resulting in 21 victories, six draws, and ten losses.
Born in Arrecife in the Canary Islands on November 10, 1982, Hernández Hernández began officiating La Liga matches during the 2012–13 season and has been an international referee since 2014. He represented Spanish officiating at the 2026 World Cup and is now poised to take charge of his seventh career El Clásico.
