Nàstic Takes Legal Action Against Playoff Referee

Gimnàstic de Tarragona has made history by becoming the first Spanish football club to file a lawsuit against a referee. The Catalan team saw their dreams of promotion to the Segunda División shattered last June and quickly pointed to a culprit: Eder Mallo Fernández, the official who refereed the playoff match between Nàstic and Málaga.

Since Nàstic’s elimination from the promotion playoffs on June 22, 2024, the sense of injustice has not subsided. The Catalan side, who believed they were on course for promotion, saw their objective slip away due to a late Málaga goal in added time. It was then, after the final whistle, that accusations against the match referee intensified, culminating in Nàstic’s decision to file a lawsuit against Mallo Fernández.

The Tarragona-based team submitted the lawsuit to the Tarragona Courts last Monday. Nàstic, claiming to have evidence, accuses Mallo Fernández of favoring Málaga and lying in the match report – including claims that he feared for his physical safety. The club hired a private investigation firm to gather information about Eder Mallo’s refereeing; the lawsuit includes conversations between the referee and one of the investigators, among other evidence.

The club accuses the referee of “deliberately officiating to favor Málaga and thus secure his own promotion as a Segunda División referee, potentially quintupling his annual salary to 100,000 euros.” Nàstic will hold a press conference today at 4 PM to provide further explanations.

It remains to be seen how far Nàstic de Tarragona’s lawsuit will go and whether the accusations, which the club believes are supported by substantial evidence, will lead to any consequences. What is certain is that this action will go down in history, making Nàstic the first club to file a lawsuit against a referee.