Villarejo Stands Firm on Allegations of Referee Bribery Against Real Madrid

Former National Police commissioner Jose Manuel Villarejo has reiterated his claims that Real Madrid was involved in referee bribery, despite the club vehemently denying the accusations. Last month, Villarejo alleged that, like Barcelona, Real Madrid engaged in similar practices before the initiation of payments to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, leading to charges of sporting corruption and bribery against both clubs.

Real Madrid swiftly refuted these claims and declared their intention to pursue legal action against Villarejo. However, the former police commissioner remains steadfast in his assertions, emphasizing that he reported instances of referee manipulation involving Real Madrid in 2014.

In a recent interview with RAC1 (via Sport), Villarejo clarified, “What I said exactly is that, when I reported in 2014 in the last intelligence note referring to Mr. (Sandro) Rosell, is that the only thing I had observed in terms of actions with referees, without going into details, is that he had previously reported on it due to Real Madrid’s actions that were dismissed.”

Despite lacking concrete evidence, Villarejo claimed to possess testimonies from individuals familiar with the situation, which he hopes will be declassified in the future to substantiate his allegations. Real Madrid continues to deny any involvement in referee bribery and stands as an injured party in the legal proceedings against Barcelona, known as El Caso Negreira.