An Andalusian Referee to Officiate the Derby Between Málaga and Córdoba

The Spanish football scene will witness a historic event this Saturday. The Andalusian derby between Málaga and Córdoba, set to take place at La Rosaleda during the thirteenth round of the Segunda División, will be remembered for a detail that transcends the result: it will be the first match where an Andalusian referee officiates two teams from the same community.

The man in charge will be Sevillian Manuel Jesús Orellana Cid, aged 33, who is entering his third season in the second tier. With this appointment by the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), the referee officially breaks with the traditional territoriality criterion in professional refereeing, a rule that for decades prevented referees from officiating matches involving clubs from their own region.

The Spanish Football Federation (FEF) and LaLiga clubs agreed in March to remove this restriction. Since then, appointments are based on sporting merit rather than geographical criteria. "It has been agreed on the need to eliminate territoriality so that the ability of referees prevails," stated the Federation in its communiqué.

This decision, driven by President Rafael Louzán, marks an important step towards greater professionalisation of refereeing. Although exceptions had already occurred in competitions like the Copa del Rey - with Jaén's José Luis Guzmán Mansilla in the past match between Palma del Río and Betis - this will be the first time it happens in the Segunda División.

Orellana will not be alone in this symbolic debut, as he will be accompanied in the VAR room by another Sevillian, Luis Mario Milla Alvendiz, thus completing a duo of judges from the same province for an entirely Andalusian clash.

The new FEF policy, which also brings forward the publication of referee appointments to the day before the matches, aims for greater transparency and objectivity in the process.

The closest precedent to a similar situation occurred during the 2020–21 season, when the pandemic forced the CTA to improvise and Catalan Rubén Ávalos Barrera officiated the Girona–Tenerife match following the COVID-positive result of the designated referee.

Now, without external constraints, history is being written by conviction. The Málaga–Córdoba match will be remembered not only as an exciting derby but as the game that ended territoriality in the Segunda División.