Meet the Match Officials for Palace's decisive semi-final second leg

Club

5 May 2026

The officiating team for Crystal Palace’s final European home fixture of the season – against Ukrainian title challengers Shakhtar Donetsk, kicking off at 20:00 BST on Thursday, 7th May – has been confirmed, as the two sides seek a place in the final in Leipzig.

The match will be refereed by experienced Spanish official Alejandro Hernández Hernández.

A FIFA-listed referee since 2014, Hernández Hernández is one of Spain’s most established officials and currently holds UEFA elite category status. Hailing from Lanzarote, he has officiated more than 450 senior matches, including 234 in La Liga, and has taken charge of 17 international fixtures.

His experience at the highest level includes five El Clásico matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona, while he has also been selected for major UEFA and FIFA assignments, including the upcoming FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

This season alone, he has overseen several high-profile European fixtures, including Liverpool v PSV, Atalanta v Chelsea, Manchester City v Galatasaray, Inter Milan v Bodø/Glimt, and Paris Saint-Germain v Chelsea. His most recent major appointment was PSG’s 5-2 victory over Chelsea in the Champions League knockout stages.

Hernández Hernández will be supported by an all-Spanish officiating team. José Naranjo and Diego Sánchez Rojo have been appointed as assistant referees.

Naranjo is an experienced UEFA assistant referee, regularly operating across Champions League and Europa League fixtures since 2022, with multiple appointments at the highest level of European club competition.

Sánchez Rojo, meanwhile, is also FIFA-listed and is set to become the first referee from Galicia to officiate at a FIFA World Cup.

He began refereeing at the age of 14, progressed through Spain’s domestic system, and made his La Liga debut in 2020 after being named the best assistant referee in the Segunda División.

He became an international assistant in 2023 and has since officiated in both European competitions and senior international matches. Despite his role as assistant referee, he has recently taken charge of more matches in elite competitions than some senior referees within the Spanish system, including Hernández.

José María Sánchez Martínez will serve as fourth official. The 42-year-old from Lorca has been a La Liga referee since 2015 and a FIFA official since 2017.

He has overseen more than 20 Champions League matches and has refereed multiple high-profile domestic finals, including the Copa del Rey final in 2023 and two Spanish Super Cup finals in 2018 and 2020, both won by Real Madrid.

He has already taken charge of 23 matches this season, including 12 in La Liga and a number of European appointments, most notably the first leg of PSG v Liverpool at the Parc des Princes.

In the VAR booth, Carlos del Cerro Grande will operate as Video Assistant Referee.

A former FIFA referee (2013–2023), Del Cerro Grande has extensive international pedigree, including officiating at Euro 2020, where he oversaw the group stage clash between France and Germany.

He has also served as fourth official in both the UEFA Champions League Final and Euro 2020 Final, before taking charge of the UEFA Europa Conference League Final between Fiorentina and West Ham United in 2023.

He will be assisted by Guillermo Cuadra Fernández, a FIFA-listed referee since 2020. Cuadra Fernández has progressed through Spain’s refereeing pyramid from Segunda División B to La Liga, making his top-flight debut in 2018.

His UEFA experience includes Europa League qualifying matches and senior European fixtures, while he was also appointed to the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2021 and served as a VAR official at the Tokyo Olympic Games football tournament.

Crystal Palace v Shakhtar Donetsk: Match officials

Referee: Alejandro Hernández Hernández
Assistant referees: José Naranjo and Diego Sánchez Rojo
Fourth official: José María Sánchez Martínez
Video Assistant Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández

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