The Lanzarote referee Alejandro Hernández has been promoted to the highest category of European refereeing as an international referee. The Canary Islands international referee will now be part of the Elite category of European refereeing.
As reported by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) through its official Twitter account, Hernández has been promoted by UEFA (Union of European Football Associations). He had only been promoted to the First category three years ago.
From this moment on, Alejandro Hernández Hernández will share the highest refereeing category in the 2023/2024 competition with referees Jesús Gil Manzano, José María Sánchez Martínez and Marta Huerta de Aza. The latter is already preparing for her participation in the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand together with assistant referee Guadalupe Porras Ayuso.
In addition, Antonio Mateu Lahoz and Carlos del Cerro Grandes, Spanish referees in that category, have retired. Ainara Acevedo Dudley and Loli Martínez Madrona remain in the First level, and Zulema González González and Olatz Rivera Olmedo join the same category after their promotion.
Likewise, in the men's category, UEFA has also promoted Juan Martínez Munuera from the Second category to the First, where he will accompany Ricardo De Burgos Bengoechea. José Luis Munuera Montero, Guillermo Cuadra Fernández and César Soto Grado remain in Second.
Alejandro Hernández Hernández has been an international referee since January 2014 and made his debut in the First Division in a match between Real Zaragoza and Real Valladolid.