Spain official wants clarity on ‘Clasico’ allegation

MADRID (Reuters) – Spain’s top sports official has told the country’s football federation (RFEF) to state what it knows about an allegation an assistant referee has been told to favour Real Madrid in next month’s ‘Clasico’ against Barcelona.

The assistant filed an anonymous complaint through a lawyer to the state anti-corruption prosecutor claiming instructions had been given by the RFEF’s refereeing committee (CTA) to show bias towards Real in the Nov. 21 La Liga clash at the Bernabeu stadium.

A copy of the complaint was leaked to Spanish media, prompting the head of the government’s sports council (CSD), Miguel Cardenal, to urge the federation to make public what it knows.

“I think it’s an extremely serious allegation, something extraordinarily alarming,” Cardenal said on Thursday, adding that the assistant referee could count on the government’s full support.

“What has to be done, faced with an accusation of this kind, is clarify it as soon as possible and if it is accurate take the relevant measures. I would like the federation to immediately state what it has to do with this accusation.”

Victoriano Sanchez Arminio, the head of Spain’s refereeing committee (CTA), told the As sports daily the accusation “makes no sense” while Javier Tebas, the president of the professional league (La Liga), said it was “implausible”.

“It does not make sense … when the referee (and assistants) for that match … have not been assigned, nor for any of the other games on that matchday,” Tebas said.

(Reporting by Iain Rogers, editing by Tony Jimenez)