Dressed informally in front of a room packed with La Liga referees and members of the RFEF Technical Referee Committee, the Women’s Football League officials reaffirmed a pivotal stance: no whistle will be blown in any match until a professional contract is secured for referees. The scene at Ciudad del Fútbol de Las Rozas, with the CTA chair and representatives from the refereeing community present, underscored a united demand for professional recognition that moves beyond ad hoc arrangements.
Guadalupe Porras, speaking on behalf of colleagues led by Yolanda Parga, asked a pointed question about the value of a sport official’s reputation. She was joined by university students Marta Huerta and Marta Frías as the group declared, in a staged act, that they would not officiate a Women’s League game until a formal contract framework was in place. The stance was presented as a collective decision, ratified on the day, with the explicit aim of pressing for professionalization rather than quitting football altogether.
The decision to suspend play on the opening day of the first professional season for women was described as mandatory. The referees insisted they were not walking away from football; rather, they were insisting on becoming part of a professional structure, something no nonprofessional body should bear alone in a professional league.
Criticism intensified toward the F League leadership, especially its president, Beatriz Álvarez Mesa. Parga explained that the morning’s events saw members emailing the RFEF to express their concerns, signaling a broader crisis within the governance of the women’s competition.
months of conflict
The tension had escalated just ten days earlier when the CTA held a public briefing about the start of the women’s competition. Porras warned at that event that a professional league demands contracts for referees, a prerequisite for ongoing improvement. The sentiment was echoed by several officials who stressed that without formal employment terms, progress would stall.
Statements captured the mood vividly: the referees could not wait to get on the field, insisting that the dispute did not paralyze women’s football, but rather demanded a fair and transparent contract. Frías Acedo, a referee in the first division, underscored the call for a package of rights that extends beyond mere wages.
As the league and federation navigated negotiations, images and messages from the period circulated widely, reinforcing the call for a clearly defined professional path for officials involved in the women’s top flight.
Negotiations moved slowly. By then, several meetings had taken place without resolution. The first formal proposal for June 27 offered 3,300 euros per game, the same rate used before professional status was granted, covering referees, assistants, a fourth official, and the observer, along with travel, overnight stays, daily subsistence, and the group’s educational and organizational costs. The referees, represented by the RFEF, rejected the plan, a stance supported by the F League’s subsequent three-week reiteration of the same terms on July 15. Details of the federation’s counterproposal remained largely undisclosed, though the aim was a gradual increase to around 21,000 euros per game over five seasons, implying a total commitment in the vicinity of five million euros.
herb
The following week brought a fresh twist as the CTA declared, with full unanimity, that it would not officiate any first division match under the current terms of employment and economic arrangements. The statement highlighted that the labor conditions and pay were undefined, a setup incompatible with professional competition. The refocusing message asserted that men’s professional competition must uphold comparable minimum working conditions for officials, signaling a push toward parity across genders in the league’s governance and operations.
Hours later, the government, through remarks from José Manuel Franco, voiced clear support for the arbitration group and reiterated calls to improve current conditions, raise salaries, and obtain professional recognition. Yet the ceasefire appeared fragile, with the F League continuing to anchor the discussion on a 3,300 euro per game stipend, excluding ancillary costs while inviting continued negotiations with the RFEF. The implication was that the current plan did not satisfy either the federation or the refereeing corps, prompting the referees to reiterate that they would not officiate until a deal was struck.
As pressure mounted, the dispute drew into sharper focus the essential question of how the professional framework would be realized and how money would flow through the chain from the league to the referees and their teams.
The role of CDS
That Friday, talks sponsored by the CSD brought new proposals into play as the RFEF contributed a non-exhaustive minimum offer. Porras clarified demands tied to annual compensation, arguing for a baseline that would guarantee stability: roughly 50,000 euros gross per year. The referees insisted they could not perform if there was neither contract nor pay when injuries or illnesses prevented work.
Support from players, clubs, and a broader refereeing community within the sport, including esteemed figures connected to global bodies, framed the broader legitimacy of their push for contractual security. The colleges rejected direct negotiations with the F League, labeling such a path as potentially illegal and incompatible with CTA affiliations. They also questioned how discussions could advance when accusations and threats were flying weekly, underscoring the friction between governance bodies and the officiating corps.
Against this backdrop, matches began to be staged with no referees available, creating an unsettling preview of a season that could be hampered by missing officials. The affected referees anticipated that the Copa de la Reina would confront a difficult landscape if no swift resolution emerged, signaling the risk of disruption percolating through the schedule and the broader league ecosystem.