Spanish referee: People hate referees because of their position; I don't watch Real Madrid's post-match videos.

Spanish referee Hernandez Hernandez expressed concern about the tense atmosphere in the refereeing community in an interview, saying, "People hate referees just because of their status."

Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez, 44, born in Lanzarote, is one of La Liga's most senior referees. He began officiating alongside Gil Manzano in 2012 and is about to embark on his 15th La Liga season. He is very proud of his role officiating Brazil's group stage match against Haiti at the 2026 World Cup: "That match was incredible, we thoroughly enjoyed it, and we are very satisfied with both the game and our performance."

However, the Canary Islands referee admitted that he had hoped to officiate more World Cup matches: "We were eager to officiate more matches, but the people in charge of selecting referees felt there were more suitable candidates. It was a pity that I couldn't officiate another match, but I participated in five other matches as the fourth official, and I am satisfied."

Regarding the controversy surrounding the World Cup final, Hernandez Hernandez believes it's a common problem, not much different from the situation faced by referees in La Liga every week. He barely rested after the World Cup and is currently with other La Liga referees in Asturias to prepare for the upcoming season.

Rate the performance of World Cup referees

"I shouldn't give myself a score because I was one of the parties involved. But in conclusion, I'm very proud of my colleagues. There were excellent officiating moments, as well as good and bad ones, but the World Cup is over, and Spain is the undisputed champion. When justice is served, the referees should feel gratified."

Standardize refereeing criteria for the new season

"This is almost the only thing we care about. All the meetings are about this: the standards to follow in the analysis, and the way to analyze the calls and make decisions. Now that we can watch the game through the referee's camera system, it proves how difficult our job is. The calls are not mathematical formulas, they are not objective, but our goal is to make the standards clear and consistent. We will work on this throughout the season to make the accuracy of the calls as high as possible and to maintain consistency."

Reduced VAR intervention in the 2025-26 season

"Ultimately, the important thing is to make the right calls on the field. That's our goal when we step onto the pitch, and we don't need VAR intervention. Ideally, if a mistake is made, VAR should stop the game and correct it. Perhaps we've been complacent in the past because of VAR, but we've become more aware of this, and VAR has intervened less this year."

"(Our relationship with the referee committee) is excellent. From the beginning, their primary focus has been on making the referee image more human. They are always open to us and help us solve any problems. There are always areas for improvement, but we strive to surpass ourselves every day."

My thoughts on the program "Tiempo de revisión"

"It's interesting to put the refereeing decisions that the football community cares about on the table for discussion. It's about showing the decisions, talking about them, and then giving the committee's opinion. This should become the norm. Last year I was on the show five or six times, and the final decisions were all correct. We've completely adapted to it. We were the first to admit our mistakes, and there's nothing wrong with publicly admitting we were wrong now. We don't mind admitting we're wrong."

Should referees adopt a more humanistic image?

"Our only goal is to be right. We feel pain when we make mistakes. The problem is that when the outside world interprets a mistake as intentional, it's not our problem anymore—we may make mistakes, but never maliciously."

Does the video produced by Real Madrid upset you?

“I don’t read them; they don’t help me at all. I can accept constructive criticism, but I ignore destructive criticism outright. Anyone who questions the honor and independence of the referees is hurtful. Some people try to fabricate stories based on certain circumstances, but after all these years, it has become clear that we have nothing to hide. Those who doubt our independence and impartiality have the right to think that way, but that’s not true.”

Four referees were relegated last season, which is an unusual number...

“No referee here feels invincible. It’s a very stressful and complex job. You have to prove yourself every week, and one mistake can ruin years of hard-earned reputation. Nobody here can guarantee their job next season.”

Do referees feel a lack of protection?

"Everyone is playing their own game, and many people are putting pressure on each other; it's part of this 'circus.' What worries us more is that this antagonism and hatred towards referees will spill over to our counterparts in lower leagues. People hate referees simply because of their position. This pains and worries us. No other sport is like this, only football. We need to cool things down, not just for our own sake. Referees in higher leagues are protected and know it's part of the 'performance,' but in grassroots football, everyone must understand that referees are also young people, and all they want to do is try their best."