Real Madrid is poised to file a complaint against Barcelona with FIFA regarding refereeing favoritism and its connection to the bribery case involving former vice-president of the Spanish Referees Committee, José Luis Negrera.
This official move is an extension of the fierce campaign led by President Florentino Pérez against Barcelona, who believes that the Catalan club’s successes over the last twenty years have relied primarily on refereeing assistance.
The “El Chiringuito” program reported that the Real Madrid management has been preparing a report for some time summarizing the state of refereeing in Spain during the more than 17 years that Negrera served as vice-president of the Referees Committee, as well as subsequent years when the team retained the same referees even after Negrera’s departure.
This report is nearly complete, and it is only a matter of time before it is officially sent to FIFA to express the extent of the “injustice” suffered by Real Madrid in recent years.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is aware that the report, which will include videos and various documents, will reach his desk within a few weeks. However, it remains unclear how the Swiss official will handle the matter—whether Barcelona will face sanctions or if the issue will be dropped.
To date, the Spanish courts have not ruled on the Neguera case and have not proven that Barcelona bribed him, which puts Barça in a strong position regarding the anticipated FIFA case.
