Real Madrid reported for extraordinary ref accusation ahead of LaLiga clash vs Sevilla
Real Madrid's television channel has been reported by Sevilla for 'a campaign of persecution and harrassment' against referees
Real Madrid have been reported by Sevilla to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for "a campaign of persecution and harrassment" of the match officials in charge of Sunday's LaLiga clash between the two clubs.
The club's official television channel, Real Madrid TV, has broadcast criticism of referee and VAR decisions before and after matches this season and that has led to accusations by opponents that Los Blancos are seeking to influence officials.
"The club wishes to confirm [that] through a written statement to the Competition Committee of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), we have reported the campaign of persecution and harassment towards the referee [Isidro] Diaz de Mera and [Pablo] Gonzalez Fuertes (VAR) for tomorrow evening's game against Real Madrid orchestrated by Real Madrid TV, the official club television channel of Real Madrid," Sevilla said in a statement on Saturday.
"We wish to formally report these events to the RFEF to see if these actions can be considered as a violation of competition rules or any other regulations.
"The club also wishes to reiterate its strongest condemnation of these orchestrated campaigns aimed at undermining the image of the refereeing body, causing serious harm to Spanish football and calling into question the integrity of the competition."
Barcelona president Joan Laporta recently described Real Madrid TV's videos as "shameful" and urged the RFEF to intervene, while the the head of Spain's refereeing body, Luis Media Cantalejo, has accused Real Madrid TV of "putting pressure" on officials.
"We don't like it at all," he said last month. "There's no sport, no team in the world that does this. Teams have their [local] press which supports them, but what's happening with this TV channel has never happened, anywhere else.
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"What they're doing seems absolutely negative to me. I've never seen it in 40 years of refereeing, putting pressure on before a game, every week. It's negative not just for refereeing but for the image of Spanish football. We've put it in the hands of legal advice, to look at the matter."
Real Madrid face Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday night.
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Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.