“He didn’t give clear punishments.”

Ahead of Saturday’s El Clasico and the first competitive meeting between Real Madrid and Barcelona this season, Real Madrid TV published a video criticizing referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez after the Spanish Football Federation confirmed that he will be a central player in the match. Duel at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

The video, which is over three and a half minutes long, includes numerous clips from Real Madrid games that Sánchez Martinez has referenced in previous seasons, offering multiple angles and zooms to analyze penalties and other decisions that were not conceded by the referee. Real Madrid’s favor.

Among them were three penalties, which, according to the channel, should have been awarded in last year’s Madrid derby at the Bernabeu, which ended in a 1-1 draw, two red cards for Mallorca players in a meeting with Los Blancos and two aggression”. Villarreal players moved to Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid.

The video ends with the narrator saying: “José María Sánchez Martínez, the referee known to all” and then cuts to a segment in which he explains how former vice-president of the referee association Enrique Negreira, now accused of corruption and receiving payments from the FC Barcelona announced his promotion to the position of first division referee.

José María Sánchez Martínez’s Clasico record

Referee José Maria Sánchez Martínez has been in charge of the six previous Clasico meetings, making him one of the most experienced players in La Liga in this match, with each team having won three times in the previous six meetings.

Of these four games, four took place at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, with two wins each. Barcelona’s victories in 2017 and 2019 both ended 3-0, while Real Madrid won 3-1 in 2022 and 2-0 in 2017.

His last El Clasico came in October 2022, when Real Madrid beat them 3-1, helped by Rodrigo Goes’ penalty awarded by Sanchez Martinez.

He has experience of sending off players in Clasicos, having sacked Dani Carvajal in December 2017 as Barcelona won 3-0 at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid.

Real Madrid results with Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez

In total, Sánchez Martinez officiated at 35 Real Madrid matches, more than any other team, followed by Barcelona with 34. Of these, 66% ended in a win for Los Blancos, 20% ended in a draw, and the remaining 14% ended in defeat. creamy.” Real Madrid.

Sánchez Martínez awarded five penalties and three red cards to Real Madrid in those games, adding to Carvajal with Mateo Kovacic in the 2-2 draw with Valencia in 2016 and Fede Valverde in the Spanish Super Cup final when Real Madrid beat Atlético Madrid Madrid”. in 2020.

In Barcelona, ​​Sanchez Martinez’s statistics are no better than the Catalan’s. Their win rate against him is 76%, although their loss rate is similar at 18%, and they were only shown one red card, with a second yellow card for Clement Lenglet in a 3-2 win over Real Betis in 2020. Sanchez Martinez never received a direct red card against them.

Barcelona are also the team that has received the most penalties from Sánchez Martinez, with eight. The last time was earlier this season, giving Robert Lewandowski the chance to give his side the lead against Valencia at the Mestalla in Barcelona’s opening match of the season.