Lights and shadows: the history of Barça with the Supercup referees

FC Barcelona will begin its journey in the Spanish Supercup next Wednesday, December 8, against Athletic Club de Bilbao and will do so under the direction of Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias. The referee from Madrid will be accompanied by Valentín Pizarro Gómez in the VAR room and this will be the eighth time he has officiated a match for the blue and garnet team.

The team led by Hansi Flick has a favorable history under Ortiz Arias, with whom they have recorded four victories, two draws, and one loss, which dates back to matchday 23 of the 2022-2023 season against Almería (1-0). This season, the referee officiated the victory against Alavés in Mendizorroza (0-3). 

A familiar face awaits in the final

If the blaugranas manage to defeat the bilbaínos and secure a spot in the final of the tournament, Jesús Gil Manzano will be the one officiating, accompanied by Javier Iglesias Villanueva in the VAR room. The luck of Barça with the Extremaduran referee has been very different from that with Ortiz Arias, as under his orders the Catalans have lost more matches than with any other active referee.

With Gil Manzano, the culés have a record of 26 victories, 7 draws, and 8 losses. This season, he already officiated their wins of 2-1 against Athletic Club in Montjuïc and 1-5 against Mallorca in Son Moix, and although both matches were free of controversies, with the Badajoz referee in charge, anything is possible. However, it is expected that, if they qualify for the final, the record for this season will be maintained.