“I don’t show my chest because they reward me as the best referee, I’m very critical of myself”

Cesar Soto Grade This season he received the award Vicente Acebedo as the best referee in the First Division, something that for him is “beautiful and a source of pride” but he does not give too much credit because, in truth, he feels “very critical” of himself and remains ready to “learn .” from mistakes.”

This is how he explained it EFE Soto Gradewho belongs to the Rioja committee of referees, because he is Rioja by adoption, as he himself explained, although he was born in Candelada (Ávila) 44 years ago.

“You don’t have to believe that you are the best when they give you this kind of award or fall into depression when you are rained down with criticism,” he explained, although he admitted that “it is a source of pride that an award like this what your colleagues give you” because it is done simultaneously. through reports from Committee of referees.

There are media outlets that do a classification of referees “and people think it’s the same thing,” he acknowledges, “but the ones who rate us are informants who are former referees, so they give you a lot of pride,” explained the Riojan referee, who also received this recognition in the Second Division, in 2019.

“But I don’t stick my neck out, you don’t have to believe in anything,” insisted the referee, who spent a few days on vacation before starting preparations for next season.

Very critical of his own faults

A preparation that throughout the year is based in part on “being very critical of myself, because that’s the best way to grow” and because “having a good game is good, but when you make a mistake you know if what needs to be improved ” in situations such as giving the law an advantage or judging one’s will, for example.

But despite the self-examination he does every game, he says he “knows that fans judge you by how their team does,” he assumes. Soto Gradewhich is a teaching profession and also dedicated to the training of young referees in La Rioja.

However, he defended that “The judgment in Spain, whatever one says, has a relatively high level, because it corresponds to one of the best leagues in Europe“. “The best for me,” he said.

But he considers that “at the international level we should give more opportunities to Spanish referees.” “Although sometimes that doesn’t depend only on sporting issues or our level,” he considered.

In fact, he sets an example for his partner Jesus Gil Manzano “that he did a great job in the Euro Cup in the match that matches him, but no one understands why he is not referring again”, namely Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez to VAR “who went home without knowing the reason.”

Extend your career beyond 45

He acknowledges that in recent years “Spanish arbitration has not had a good time” because of the ‘Negreira case’. “I don’t know if that influences but for now at Spanish Federation things are calmer,” he emphasizes.

He is also an international referee, but at the third level where “big matches or national teams in important competitions” are assigned, something he “lacks experience in” as he has only been in for three seasons, he admits.

An experience that may be hard to come by as at 44 years old he faces the possibility that next year will be his last season as a high-level referee; because there is an “anunwritten rule” where in Spain The referees go from the field to the VAR.

“I would like to continue, but it will complicate the politics of the Committee,” he admitted, “and I will do everything possible to get them to think about it.”

“We are one of the few countries in the Europe on what is happening and why it is not so reasonable that they award you as the best referee and after one year they retire you, while I have only six seasons. First. I don’t think I’m amortized and they can take advantage of me a little more,” concluded the referee of the Riojan committee.