Soto Grado Under Scrutiny in the Derby
César Soto Grado will referee the highly anticipated derby between Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu. This will be his third match officiating for Atlético, where he has shown a strong record with 10 wins and 3 draws in 14 games.
However, his last encounter with Atlético was controversial: in the quarterfinals last season, he did not show a second yellow card to Ceballos after a foul on Lemar, which upset the Atlético team. Despite this, Atlético has only lost one of the matches refereed by Soto Grado.
On the other hand, Real Madrid, who has been officiated by him in 20 matches, has also shown dissatisfaction recently, especially after Vinícius’s red card in Mestalla. This derby arrives with significant pressure on the Riojan referee, especially after statements from both clubs regarding refereeing decisions.
