Referee for Real Madrid vs Atlético in LaLiga

Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias is set to officiate the capital derby between Atlético and Real Madrid, marking a historic appointment as he becomes the first referee from Madrid to oversee the clash between the two teams. Meanwhile, Daniel Jesús Trujillo will take on the role of Video Assistant Referee.

Ángel Ortiz Arias, born in Madrid in 1984, is entering his seventh season in LaLiga, and he broke the rule last year of not assigning matches to referees from the same area when he officiated the match between Rayo Vallecano and Getafe.

Ángel Ortiz Arias works as a physical education teacher and received the Jorge Cerdán award from Marca as the best referee for the 2021/2022 season.

In a conversation with the Royal Madrid Football Federation, the referee criticized the tense atmosphere surrounding officiating following the Negreira case, stating: "I believe there is greater violence now, we have been highlighted."

He added: "Imagine you work at a company and one of the managers did things they shouldn't have done, does that make you corrupt? I don't think so."

Marca reported a funny incident involving Raphinha before the FC Barcelona vs Atlético match, when Ángel Ortiz said to him after the draw: "I like your moustache."

Ángel Ortiz officiated one match for Atlético Madrid in LaLiga, which was last season against Getafe, and it ended with Atlético winning 1-0 thanks to a goal from Molina.

On the other hand, the Madrid referee has never officiated a match for Real Madrid.

Despite this, Real Madrid TV criticized him after seeing that the referee showed a great deal of understanding with FC Barcelona players during the match against Athletic Bilbao, which ended with FC Barcelona winning 2-0.