The CTA Makes It Official for Atlético-Barça, Joan Laporta Is Shocked: 'The Decision...'

Arbitration in Spain is experiencing turbulent times due to several controversies mainly involving different referees from the First Division. Moreover, as if that weren't enough, the state of tension is real in clubs like Barça and Real Madrid, which, for the first time in years, are very close in LaLiga. The CTA is under scrutiny, as the 'Negreira Case' and the famous letter from Real Madrid demand maximum rigor and minimal margin for error.

In this case, the controversy is already brewing ahead of the upcoming Copa del Rey match between Atlético and Barça, which will take place this coming Wednesday in Madrid. The Metropolitano will be the venue for the crucial and decisive second leg to determine which team will be present in the final at La Cartuja in Seville. The problem is that, for Barça, the tie has become more complicated in the last few hours, as the club has learned of a decision by the CTA that will cause a stir.

Joan Laporta, President of Barça, was the first to be astonished by this somewhat incomprehensible decision according to sources from the Catalan entity. The CTA has appointed, for this Atlético-Barça, a very controversial referee with a significant 'suspicious' track record accumulated during this season. Barça is astonished and assumes that reaching the grand final of the Copa del Rey will be challenging, especially considering the result of the first leg.

CTA Makes It Official for Atlético-Barça, Joan Laporta Astonished: "The Decision..."

The CTA has made official the name of the referee who will officiate the Copa del Rey match between Atlético de Madrid and Barça. This is none other than José Luis Munuera Montero, a referee from Jaén who will lead the match at the refereeing level. Munuera Montero was the referee who sent off Jude Bellingham a few weeks ago and who, days earlier, conducted a disastrous refereeing in the Barça-Alavés on February 2, 2025.

Moreover, after sending off Bellingham at the Sadar, the RFEF opened an investigation into Munuera Montero, as it was leaked that he managed a company that had direct relations with several clubs. Despite the media noise caused, everything came to nothing, although Louzán's RFEF advised him to "focus solely on refereeing while he was active in the First Division."

Barça accepts the RFEF's decision, but Joan Laporta is astonished by the appointment of Munuera Montero. The Andalusian referee will once again be in the spotlight, something that particularly bothers Barça.