Fran Soto, the head of the referees' committee at the Spanish Football Federation, has confirmed that La Liga will only implement drinks breaks in specific circumstances, while also revealing a number of anticipated refereeing and rule changes for the coming season.
Speaking during an interview with the programme "El Partidazo" on the Cadena COPE radio station, Soto explained that cooling breaks will not become a fixed part of La Liga matches. Those breaks were among the most prominent scenes of the 2026 World Cup. Now they will only apply when temperatures top 32 degrees Celsius.
That condition means most La Liga matches won't see any additional stoppages. Soto categorically ruled out a repeat of the World Cup final, which witnessed a break that extended to 28 minutes.
Joking, he added that Spanish football will remain "more romantic" and preserve the traditional 15-minute half-time break between the two halves.
Spanish anger
Soto also touched on the participation of Spanish referees in the 2026 World Cup, expressing the committee's displeasure at the poor Spanish representation. Hernández Hernández was the only Spanish referee to officiate a match at the tournament.
He described the outcome as "very negative", confirming a state of surprise and frustration within the Spanish refereeing sector. In his opinion, the level of Spanish referees does not match the limited nature of their presence in the tournament.
Hernández Hernández, alongside the assistant referee Alejandro who took part in the match between Brazil and Haiti, delivered good performances. That, according to Soto, confirms the absence of Spanish referees was not linked to purely technical or sporting reasons.
The Negreira case present: and a request for a meeting with FIFA
Could the Negreira case be affecting FIFA's decisions over the selection of referees? Soto did not rule it out, but at the same time confirmed he did not know the real reasons behind the poor participation of Spanish referees.
He said the absence of any explanation linked to refereeing or objective criteria could point to other factors off the pitch, stressing that Spanish referees had been "the most harmed" by the Negreira case.
The committee, he revealed, is awaiting a date to hold a direct meeting with FIFA officials in order to obtain official clarifications. He prefers direct dialogue rather than exchanging letters or media statements.
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New refereeing and technical changes next season
Soto also spoke about a set of amendments that will come into effect during the new season, after some of them were applied at the World Cup. Most notable is a crackdown on time wasted during substitutions.
A substituted player will now have to leave the pitch within a maximum of 10 seconds, he explained. Exceed that time and the team will have to wait an additional minute before making the next substitution.
He also pointed to a review of the protocol for dealing with second yellow cards, plus the adoption of ball technology connected to an electronic chip to help determine the precise frame used when reviewing offside situations automatically.
But Soto urged caution over the new technology. It will only help in choosing the correct time frame for the moment of the pass, he explained, and won't solve every technical problem. He pointed to the malfunctions of player-tracking systems that occurred last season, including the match between Atlético Madrid and Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, when the referees had to draw the offside lines manually.
Praise for his first season and a call for understanding
Despite his criticism of the poor Spanish presence at the World Cup, Soto confirmed his satisfaction with his first year at the head of the committee, praising in particular the second half of last season in the first and second divisions.
The play-off matches for promotion were successful and free of VAR interventions, he said. He also described the promotion of four referees from the second division to the first within a single season as a "historic achievement".
Soto closed by calling for more mutual understanding between referees, clubs and fans, confirming that the refereeing profession carries great difficulties and requires a greater degree of empathy from all parties.