Real Madrid vs. Barcelona Match-Fixing Claims Investigated Ahead of El Clasico

Spanish police have reportedly launched an investigation into claims of an assistant official who says he has been pressured to benefit Real Madrid in the upcoming Clasico against Barcelona on November 21.

Spanish news outlets L'Esportiu and Cadena COPE (h/t Sport) report the linesman was expected to be part of the officiating team for the clash at the Bernabeu, and another referee apparently told the linesman he was instructed to favour Los Blancos.

Cadena COPE have published the legal document (in Spanish), confirming the investigation in is progress. Sport provided a translation.

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The report from Cadena COPE (h/t Sport) goes on to name Jose Angel Jimenez Munoz de Morales, a member of Spain's Technical Committee of Referees, as the man allegedly pressuring the assistant.

Jimenez has refused to comment on the report, via the Daily Mirror's Ed Malyon: “I won’t comment for now. I only have very recently heard about this. I’ll read it and see what is happening but for now I can’t say much more.”

Per Malyon, the assistant referee refused to favour Real, at which point he claims he received a phone call from the Spanish federation threatening his career.

AS shared more details:

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The linesman says that he received a phonecall from the match official he usually accompanies, telling him that he had received instructions “from someone on the inside” which advised: “the most convenient plan would be to not allow the match official to take the most difficult decisions in that match, because he will be in the media limelight and it would cause too much controversy; if the referee doesn’t take the decisions, his assistant can adopt those responsibilities.”

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The phone call in question allegedly took place in September, and officials have been investigating the case ever since.

Per Sport's translation of the official document, the lawyer, Jacinto Vicente, claims the practice of letting the linesman take the decision out of the official's hands was already tested in the 2014-15 campaign.

The Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona is by far the biggest match in Spanish football and one of the most anticipated sporting events in the world. Every year, tempers fly high, and every decision from the official is closely scrutinized.

Per La Liga blogger Rafael Hernandez, dubious decision-making seems to occur with some regularity:

As if the storied rivalry between Spain's two biggest clubs needed any more fuel, this latest report will surely play a massive part in the lead-up to the first Clasico of the season.

None of the reports name Los Blancos as the culprits, but Barcelona fans likely won't care one bit.

Expect to hear plenty more about this story in the coming weeks, as more details are uncovered and both clubs react to the news.

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