A lawyer has reported to anti-corruption prosecutors in Barcelona that a first division assistant referee was "allegedly pressured" by the Spanish Referees' Association to favor Real Madrid in its upcoming game against Barcelona on Nov. 21, according to MARCA. During a phone call that allegedly took place in September, a member of the association "contacted a top flight referee who had been short-listed" to take charge of the Clásico and said that he should "try to control the game in a way that thwarted the interests of one of the clubs, Barcelona." The report added that it was the referee who called his assistant, who is allegedly behind the report, to tell him that it "would be better if the toughest decisions in that game were not made by the match referee because they generate more controversy and are submitted to tighter media scrutiny" (MARCA, 10/22). MARCA reported in a separate piece Barcelona VP Susana Monje "commented on the controversy," saying, "I hope it isn't confirmed because it would damage the prestige of our league competition" (MARCA, 10/22). The EFE reported Spanish Superior Sports Council (CSD) President Miguel Cardenal said that he would like the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to "clarify immediately the basis" of the referee's claim. Cardenal: "It appears to me to be a very serious complaint, an extraordinarily alarming one. What has to be done in the face of an accusation of this sort is to clarify it as soon as possible and if it is accurate take the necessary measures. I would like the RFEF to clear up the basis behind this as quickly as possible. ... Nobody should be under the reasonable fear of reprisals in Spain in 2015. [The referee] has the administration, the government, the CSD and the judiciary at his disposal and he should say what has transpired, and also report it to the sporting authorities; we will take the claim extremely seriously" (EFE, 10/22).
