Referee sends off referee
Friday’s Spanish LaLiga clash between Getafe and Elche saw the referee issue a red card to a noteworthy recipient.
Getafe’s LaLiga victory over Elche produced one of the quirkiest stories of the matchday - and arguably the season.
Ref-on-ref red-card action
In the closing stages of Friday’s Week 14 clash at the Estadio Coliseum, referee Alejandro Hernández Hernández brandished a red card in the direction of the Getafe bench. At first glance, the recipient seemed to be José Bordalás, Los Azulones’ ever-fiery head coach. Bordalás even protested the decision as if it were aimed squarely at him.
However, Hernández Hernández’s official match report revealed a surprising twist: the man sent off was a familiar face in officiating circles - Enrique Mejuto González, a former top-flight referee and now Getafe’s matchday delegate.
“In the 90th minute, delegate Mejuto González, Manuel Enrique, was dismissed for the following reason,” reads the referee’s report documenting the incident. “As the person responsible for the stadium’s ball boys, he was held accountable for their behavior during the second half, which caused several delays in restarting play.”
🔵 Alejandro Hernández, primer colegiado del encuentro, expulsó a Enrique Mejuto González, delegado de campo del Getafe y exárbitro de Primera División. https://t.co/32iOd2EKPA
— AS Fútbol (@AS_Futbol) November 29, 2025
A former UCL final referee
Mejuto González, widely regarded as one of Spain’s finest referees, hung up his whistle in 2010 after officiating that May’s Copa del Rey final - a 2-0 win for Sevilla over Atlético Madrid.
An international referee from 1999, he officiated at two European Championships and famously oversaw the legendary 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul, where Liverpool clawed back from 0-3 against AC Milan before triumphing on penalties.
Mejuto González’s reputation and strong relationships across Spanish soccer have long been an asset, particularly given his close ties with Getafe president Ángel Torres. Mejuto debuted in LaLiga in 1995, racking up 263 matches at the elite level, before transitioning to his current role as Getafe matchday delegate in July 2019.
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