The main refereeing committee of the Egyptian Football Association assigned the management of the 131st Cairo Derby match between Al Ahly and Zamalek to a Spanish refereeing team. The match kicks off at 8 PM today, Monday, at Cairo International Stadium, concluding the ninth round of the 67th season of the Premier League this year.

Spanish refereeing team for the derby

Leading this team is César Soto Grado (45 years old), accompanied by Iván Masó Grando and Antonio Ramón Moreno (assistants), Alejandro Ruiz (fourth referee), and José Montero and Mario López (video technology).

Biography of Spanish referee César Soto Grado

    • Born June 17, 1980, in Candilida municipality, central Spain.
    • His first appearance in La Liga was on August 18, 2019, in the match between Deportivo Alavés and Getafe in the first round of the 2019-2020 season.
    • He received his international badge in 2022.
    • He has refereed 3 La Liga matches this season, the latest being Sevilla vs Villarreal on September 24.
    • In Europe, he officiated one Champions League qualifier between Hamrun Spartans (Malta) and Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine) on July 22, issuing 16 yellow cards in four matches without any red cards or penalties.
    • He has refereed 126 La Liga matches, including the famous ‘El Clásico’ between Real Madrid and Barcelona in round 32 of the season before last, which ended 3-2 in favor of Real Madrid.
    • He refereed 22 Copa del Rey matches and the Spanish Super Cup final between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on January 16, 2022.
    • Throughout his refereeing career, he has issued 1429 yellow cards and 70 red cards (30 direct reds) and awarded 76 penalties.
    • In the Arab region, he officiated the match between Al-Ittihad Jeddah and Al-Taawoun in round 27 of the Saudi Professional League 2023-2024 season.
    • He was a candidate to referee the ‘El Clásico’ final of the Copa del Rey last season but was denied this honor due to disagreements with the head of the referees committee, Medina Cantalijo, in favor of his colleague Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea.