FC Barcelona were unable to win any piece of silverware last season, and among the different causes that critics have identified for this failure, several Cules would also include the injustice that they feel was meted out to their team by the referees.
One of the referees against whom the Catalans would have the most grievances would be Soto Grado, who last oversaw a Barcelona game in the El Clasico on 21st April, which ended 3-2 in favor of Real Madrid.
In that match, Blaugranes felt hard done by the referee, as he did not count a goal by Lamine Yamal which seemed to have crossed the goalline but VAR could not prove that the ball had completely crossed it. Fans openly complained about this injustice, and Laporta also threatened to go to court against that decision.
Now, this referee is once again set to oversee a Barcelona game, as Mundo Deportivo reports that he is the official in charge of the upcoming game against Rayo Vallecano.
Soto Grada officiated in two other Barcelona games in the last season. One of those games was the one against Getafe, the league opener, in which Xavi Hernandez was expelled, and a penalty was not called for a clear foul on Ronald Araujo.
Then the Spanish referee also officiated the match between Barcelona and Granada, and there was controversy in this match as well. This match ended in a 2-2 draw, but he ruled out a goal from Joao Felix, as he felt that Ferran Torres was in an offside position and interfering in the play.
In total, the official has overseen 10 Barcelona games, in which the Catalans have come out as winners only 3 times. They have lost 5 of these matches while drawing the other two times. Thus, he is the referee under whom Barcelona have the worst winning percentage, and his presence on the pitch in the upcoming match will be a concern for the Cules.
