Martinez Munuera handed low 4.25 rating after Sevilla’s defeat by Barcelona

Martinez Munuera has been given a rating of 4.25 out of 10 for his refereeing of Sevilla’s 3-1 defeat by Barcelona in the seventh round of La Liga.

The assessment was issued by Archivo VAR, a site specialising in controversial refereeing decisions, which said the official failed to meet the standard expected from a referee with his experience.

Martinez Munuera produced a largely satisfactory performance in the first half, particularly when dealing with incidents inside the penalty areas. However, Archivo VAR said he lost control of the match after the interval following a serious error that stopped a promising Sevilla attack.

The referee’s positioning was described as extremely poor when he interrupted play. He failed to see that Correa was making an unmarked run down the flank and could have moved through on goal for a one-on-one chance against the Barcelona goalkeeper.

The match also featured two incidents that prompted debate, although neither was considered a clear refereeing error.

In the first half, Pau Cubarsi went down inside the penalty area after what was described as a slight pull. Archivo VAR said the contact was not sufficient for a penalty and that there was not even clear evidence that his shirt had been pulled. The incident was therefore regarded as a decision left to the discretion of the referee.

Lamine Yamal later appealed for a penalty, but Archivo VAR said there was no basis for awarding one. The incident took place outside the penalty area and did not involve a clear foul, meaning it too fell within the referee’s on-field judgement.

Archivo VAR summarised its assessment on X by describing Martinez Munuera’s display as a failure and referring to the decision to stop Sevilla’s attack as “a beginner’s error”. Its post, published on 19 September 2026, also noted that the match contained two incidents that were close calls.