Disciplinary Committee opens proceedings against Real Madrid following Sevilla's complaint

Sevilla FC have announced that the Disciplinary Committee has decided to uphold their complaint against 'Real Madrid TV.' The Andalusian club complained to the RFEF about the video broadcasted by the 'Merengues' official TV channel in which they pointed out Diaz de Mera and Gonzalez Fuertes, the referees in charge of the Real Madrid-Sevilla FC match. After an initial refusal due to the failure to indicate which point of the disciplinary code was breached, Sevilla FC reformulated the complaint and this time it has been dealt with.

The club have issued a statement informing that the Disciplinary Committee has opened proceedings against Real Madrid for the publication of this video. An act that sets a precedent and could push other clubs to take the same step as Sevilla FC. For the moment, Real Madrid have not commented on the matter. Sevilla FC have taken advantage of the statement published to point out the effects of this type of piece in the run-up to Real Madrid matches.

"The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), via its Judges and Disciplinary Committee, has informed us that they have opened an investigation into Real Madrid, following our complaint of the videos emitted by Real Madrid TV in the build-up to games. Ahead of our match at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid TV released a video scrutinising referees Isidro Díaz de Mera and Pablo González Fuertes, the referee and VAR respectively chosen for the match.

The club decided to take action in light of the fact that these practices, which have been a recurring theme in recent times, including before a league meeting earlier this season between the two teams, are seriously damaging to Spanish football and call the integrity of the competition and its officiating body into question.

Furthermore, above all, this malpractice seeks to influence individual matchday referees as the videos attempt to create an image of lack of professionalism and anti-Madrid bias, right before fixtures are scheduled to be played. This has major repercussions for matches played at the Santiago Bernabeu, as tens of thousands of Madrid fans arrive convinced that an anti-Madrid bias exists amongst referees, which increases tension significantly and creates an unfair level of pressure on them," reads the statement.

 

March 7, 2024