La Liga president Javier Tebas
Javier Tebas President of the Spanish Football Federation (LFP) attends a news conference in Barcelona, March 25, 2015. Many clubs in La Liga, including champions Atletico Madrid, Espanyol, Valencia and Sevilla, are hopeful a collective deal would enable them to demand more cash from broadcasters which could then be shared out more equitably. REUTERS/Albert Gea

A Spanish referee has come forward to report to authorities that he received orders from the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) to take decisions favouring Real Madrid in the upcoming El Clasico clash against Barcelona on Nov. 21.

The referee claims he was approached back in September, with the Clasico two months away and referees yet to be named for the game. He allegedly got the instructions from a match referee he usually accompanies in games. After refusing to carry out the instructions, he was allegedly called by Jose Angel Jimenez Munoz de Morales, the spokesman of the Technical Committee, to carry out the orders or else face the end of his career as a match referee.

"In this context, in the middle of September, with two months still to go [before the Clasico], a referee said to my client he had received, and I quote, 'an instruction directly from someone inside. The guidelines said that they could be the refereeing team for the Clasico -- even though it has still not been named, nor will it be until closer to the date -- between Madrid and Barcelona on Nov. 21. In the case that they were designated the game, it was indicated that they must try to referee the game in a certain manner, in more certain terms, to prejudice the interests of one of the clubs, Barcelona," Jose Vicente, the lawyer of the unnamed assistant referee told COPE in a statement.

Vicente’s statement goes on to add that his client was told it would be less controversial if the assistant referee was taking the main decisions on the field, as it would generate less controversy.

La Liga president Javier Tebas has claimed that the allegations are ridiculous, claiming it was no logic considering there have been no referees designated yet for the game. The Spanish sports minister has meanwhile called on the Spanish Football Federation to investigate the allegations.

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