adminMADRID. — A potential match-fixing scandal has engulfed next month’s El Clasico after a linesman complained to Spanish police that he had been told to favour Real Madrid by the match-day referee. The identities of the match officials involved are being kept private for fear of reprisals against them, but anti-corruption officials are understood to be taking the claims seriously.
The match officials for the Real Madrid against Barcelona fixture have not yet been confirmed but it is understood that one of the linesmen for the match had been contacted by the referee who told him that the refereeing committee were putting pressure on them to favour Real.
In a court filing published by Spanish radio station COPE on Wednesday, the official, who didn’t want to reveal his identity, claims pressure was put on a senior referee who is expected to take charge of the match on November 21 to handle the game in a manner that would “prejudice the interests of one of the clubs involved, Barcelona.”
It is alleged the referee in question then contacted the complainant to request he make the more difficult decisions in the match as the referee’s performance is subject to more scrutiny by the media.
Moreover, the complainant alleges he also received a phone call from a senior member of the referees’ committee advising him it would be “intelligent” to follow the instructions for the progression of his career. Referees in Spain’s top flight are normally allocated to matches little more than a week before the games take place.
Jose Angel Jimenez Munoz de Morales, a member of the referees’ committee, is accused of calling the linesman in question to apply extra pressure once it was made clear to him that the match official was not interested in following the alleged request to make biased calls against Barcelona. Munoz de Morales responded to the claims on Wednesday night saying: “I have no idea where they come from. It is like something out of a Kafka novel”. Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone caused a storm at the start of the season when he implied the league would be made easier for Real Madrid to win this year. — AFP.
Online Reporter