El Clasico in corruption storm as linesman claims he was told to favour Real Madrid in next month's clash with Barcelona

A potential match-fixing scandal has engulfed next month’s Clasico after a linesman complained to Spanish police that he had been told to favour Real Madrid by the matchday referee.

The identities of the match officials involved are being kept private for fear of reprisals against them but anti-corruption officials are understood to be taking the claims seriously.

The match officials for the Real Madrid against Barcelona fixture have not yet been confirmed but it is understood
that one of the linesmen for the match had been contacted by the referee who told him that the refereeing committee were putting pressure on them to favour Real.

Jose Angel Jimenez Munoz de Morales, a member of the referees' committee, is then accused of calling the linesman in question to apply extra pressure once it was made clear to him that the match official was not interested in following the alleged request to make biased calls against Barcelona.

Munoz de Morales responded to the claims on Wednesday night saying: ‘I have no idea where they come from. It is
like something out of a Kafka novel’.

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone caused a storm at the start of the season when he implied the league would be made easier for Real Madrid to win this year.

Simeone said in an interview: ‘The league is dangerously prepared for Real Madrid. Madrid cannot go seven years with only winning one league. This year I think that sadly it is difficult to see another team winning it.’

Madrid were furious at the suggested conspiracy and many of their supporters point to the fact that their team have only been awarded one penalty so far this season while Barcelona have been given seven as proof that there is no favouritism.

On Thursday, Spanish daily Mundo Deportivo ran the headline 'Bombshell!' before making three key front page points, the first being that, 'A linesman, who wants to remain anonymous, denounces the Referees Technical Committee to the Anticorruption Office.'

The second suggests the official in question, 'points to a former colleague with a Falangist past, his lawyer says
that is not the only case, and the Civil Guard investigates.'

And 'according to him, the referees have received pressure to favour Madrid in the next Clasico on November 21.'

Meanwhile, fellow Spanish newspaper Sport leads with the headline 'Clasico under suspicion' before saying, 'an
assistant referee complains of the pressure to prejudice against Barca.'