The RFEF pays tribute to referee David García de la Loma at Ciudad del Fútbol
This Wednesday, the Royal Spanish Football Federation unveiled a plaque with the name of the referee in one of the main VAR studios and the CTA will establish the award for the “Most Talented Referee - David García de la Loma’. President Rafael Louzán accompanied his family during the day, on a day in which his relatives received the affection of the Spanish clubs that are part of the Commission for the Reform of the Refereeing System.
Spanish football will not forget the example of vitality, tenacity and passion of the Palencia-born referee David García de la Loma, who passed away on 5 March, and who has now received the recognition of the world of football and sport for his commitment to refereeing. From 12 March 2025, one of the video refereeing rooms (VAR) located at the federation's headquarters at the Ciudad del Fútbol in Las Rozas will bear the name of the referee, after his family unveiled a plaque that will remember him from now on.
Juan Carlos and María Dolores, parents of the deceased referee, his brother Sergio and his girlfriend Sandra visited the headquarters of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, where they were received by the president Rafael Louzán. Together with him, they visited the referees' working facilities, unveiling the plaque that will be displayed in the VAR Room No. 8 of the federation's headquarters, accompanied by the president of the Technical Committee of Referees, Luis Medina Cantalejo.
The family of David García de la Loma also received the affection of the representatives of the clubs involved in the Commission for the Reform of the Refereeing System, who applauded the presentation of the plaque to the family before the start of the working session in the Meeting room at the Ciudad del Fútbol.
In addition, it was announced on Wednesday that the RFEF, through the CTA, will establish the Most Talented Referee - David García de la Loma’ award for the referee who achieves the No. 1 position in the Talent and Mentoring Programme each season. This programme brings together around 300 referees from each regional federation and the CTA evaluates them in stages until the final 20 referees to be promoted to 2nd Federation each year is reached. The referee who wins the award will be invited to the Awards Gala held in December each year and will receive their award there. David García de la Loma was part of this programme in 2021.
García de la Loma, a Second RFEF referee, passed away on 5 March at the age of 31 after a long illness. During the weekend of 8 and 9 March 2025, all referees in official RFEF competitions showed their sign of mourning by wearing black armbands in his honour and memory.
