La Liga to allow water breaks only above 32C as referees chief targets FIFA talks over World Cup snub

La Liga will not routinely introduce the extended cooling pauses seen at the 2026 World Cup, with water breaks only permitted in matches played in temperatures above 32C, according to Spain’s refereeing chief Fran Soto.

The president of the referees committee at the Spanish Football Federation confirmed that the controversial mid-half pauses, which became a talking point during the tournament, will not become a permanent feature in the Spanish league.

Soto said that only when the temperature passes 32C will referees be authorised to stop play for official cooling breaks, making it unlikely that most La Liga fixtures will be affected.

He ruled out any repeat of the World Cup final scenario, where an extended interruption led to a 28‐minute break in play, insisting the Spanish domestic game would remain closer to its traditional format.

With a hint of humour, Soto added that Spanish football would stay “more romantic”, preserving the standard 15‐minute half-time interval rather than adopting lengthier rest periods.

Anger over limited Spanish presence at World Cup

Speaking to the “El Partidazo” programme on radio station Cadena Cope, Soto also expressed frustration at the minimal role played by Spanish officials at the 2026 World Cup.

Only Hernandez Hernandez took charge of a match at the tournament, a level of representation Soto described as “extremely negative”.

He said there was surprise and irritation within Spain’s refereeing ranks, arguing that the quality of Spanish officials did not match their limited presence on the global stage.

Soto highlighted that Hernandez Hernandez and assistant referee Alejandro, who was involved in the Brazil v Haiti match, had both performed well. For him, that underlined that the lack of appointments was not down purely to sporting or technical considerations.

Asked whether the ongoing Negreira case might have influenced FIFA’s choices, Soto did not dismiss the possibility. However, he stressed he did not know the real reasons behind the reduced Spanish participation.

He suggested that the absence of any clear, performance-based explanation could point to “other factors outside the pitch”, adding that Spanish referees had been “the most affected” by the Negreira affair.

The referees’ committee is now seeking a face‐to‐face meeting with FIFA officials to obtain formal clarification, with Soto insisting he prefers direct dialogue over exchanging letters or public statements.

New rules on substitutions, bookings and offside technology

Soto also outlined a series of refereeing and regulatory changes to be brought into La Liga next season, some of which were tested during the World Cup.

A key change concerns added time for substitutions. The outgoing player will have a maximum of 10 seconds to leave the pitch. If that time limit is exceeded, the team will be forced to wait an additional minute before being allowed to make their next substitution.

He confirmed that the protocol for dealing with second yellow cards is being reviewed, without detailing specific alterations, and said that semi‐automated offside decisions will be supported by a new ball containing an electronic chip.

The chip will help officials and VAR identify the precise frame at the moment of the pass when reviewing offside situations automatically.

However, Soto urged caution over expectations for the new technology. He said it will assist only in fixing the exact timing of the pass and will not resolve every technical problem, pointing to incidents last season when player‐tracking systems malfunctioned.

Among those, he recalled the Copa del Rey tie between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, where referees were forced to draw offside lines manually after a system failure.

Positive domestic season but call for more empathy

Despite his criticism of Spain’s representation at the World Cup, Soto voiced satisfaction with his first year in charge of the referees’ committee, particularly the second half of the campaign in both the first and second tiers.

He said the promotion play‐off matches had been well handled and “successful”, noting they passed without any interventions from the video assistant referee.

Soto also hailed the promotion of four referees from the second division to La Liga in a single season, describing it as a “historic achievement”.

He concluded by calling for greater mutual understanding between referees, clubs and supporters, underlining that refereeing is a demanding profession that, in his view, deserves more empathy from all sides.