Referees in Spain’s La Liga will begin granting television interviews after matches from this weekend following an agreement aimed at improving transparency and strengthening communication between match officials and football supporters.

The initiative, which takes effect during Matchday 11 of the 2026/2027 season, will allow referees to speak to broadcasters holding television rights to the competition after the final whistle. Blueprint reports

The arrangement was confirmed by DAZN, one of the league’s official broadcasters, following an agreement involving La Liga, the Spanish Football Federation and the referees’ union, AESAF.

According to Spanish newspaper Diario AS, the development represents an expansion of the pre-match interviews already introduced at the beginning of the current campaign.

However, the post-match interviews will operate under specific conditions. DAZN and Movistar+, the two broadcasters with rights to La Liga matches, will each be permitted to interview one referee per matchday.

This means that referees will not necessarily speak after every fixture, as only two officials across the matchday are expected to participate in the post-match interviews.

€500,000 bonus for referees

As part of the agreement, La Liga has allocated a total of €500,000 as an audiovisual bonus to be distributed among the referees.

The financial arrangement is intended to compensate officials for their participation in television activities and their contribution to improving the broadcast experience of the Spanish league.

The agreement was reached after negotiations involving AESAF, La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation, with the parties seeking to make refereeing more accessible to television audiences.

The initiative also follows a similar arrangement involving football clubs, under which teams receive audiovisual bonuses for participating in activities designed to improve television coverage and the overall presentation of the competition.

According to Diario AS, the agreement requires the referees’ media appearances to contribute to improving the value of Spanish football’s audiovisual product while protecting and promoting the image of the refereeing profession.

Pre-match interviews already introduced

The post-match interviews are an extension of a system that has been in operation since the beginning of the 2026/2027 season.

Referees in Spain’s top two divisions, La Liga and Segunda División, have already been appearing before matches to speak with broadcasters that hold the competition’s television rights.

One of the officials who participated in the pre-match arrangement was José Luis Martínez Munuera, who spoke to DAZN ahead of the recent El Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

During the interview, Martínez Munuera discussed how he prepared for high-profile fixtures and sought to distance himself from the media attention and controversy surrounding refereeing decisions.

The introduction of post-match interviews will now provide another opportunity for officials to address television audiences after matches, particularly at a time when contentious decisions frequently generate intense debate among supporters, clubs and football analysts.

Athletic-Real Sociedad among first fixtures

The new arrangement is expected to feature during this weekend’s fixtures, with the Basque derby between Athletic Club and Real Sociedad among the matches identified for the initiative.

The referee in charge of the encounter at San Mamés is expected to speak to broadcasters after the game, giving viewers an opportunity to hear directly from the match official.

The development comes amid wider efforts by Spanish football authorities to improve transparency in officiating and bring supporters closer to the decision-making process.

Other measures introduced in recent seasons include the release of VAR audio recordings and programmes dedicated to reviewing controversial refereeing decisions.

With the introduction of post-match interviews, La Liga is taking another step towards making match officials more accessible to the public, although the limited number of interviews per matchday means the opportunity will not extend to every game.

The initiative is expected to attract attention from football followers, particularly as refereeing decisions remain among the most debated aspects of the Spanish top-flight competition.