Referees file complaints against Florentino Perez and Real Madrid TV with Anti-Violence Commission | OneFootball

The Spanish Association of Football Referees (AESAF) is taking every possible step to defend themselves against accusations made by Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez, concerning alleged league title thefts and corruption within Spanish refereeing.

In a press conference last week, the Los Blancos president made strong accusations against the referees in Spain, citing the Negreira case, and going on to say that he and Real Madrid were robbed of many titles as a result.

In repsonse, the AESAF had requested that the RFEF Competition Committee open disciplinary proceedings against the Real Madrid president last week.

New complaints lodged

Now, the referees’ association took things further by filing complaints against both Perez and Real Madrid TV before Spain’s Anti-Violence Commission.

The referees’ association stated in a communique addressed to officials:

“The complaints have been filed respectively against Mr. Perez and against Real Madrid TV and Real Madrid CF, within the institutional line of action that AESAF maintains in defense of the dignity, integrity, and protection of Spanish referees.”

The statement continued: “The Association considers that the repeated use of certain public messages, as well as the continuous dissemination of content that systematically questions or discredits the refereeing collective, contributes to the deterioration of the climate of respect necessary for the proper development of sporting activity and may encourage situations of tension, hostility, or violence toward referees.”

In this regard, the referees’ union emphasized the importance of the latest actions taken against Perez and the club in order to protect themselves:

“To protect the people who carry out refereeing duties and guarantee that they can perform their work in an environment of safety, respect, and coexistence.

“We reaffirm our commitment to using legal and institutional channels as tools to combat any manifestation of violence, harassment, or attempts to discredit refereeing.”

Real Madrid’s response awaited

Florentino Perez hit out on Spanish referees. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Although Real Madrid TV and Florentino Perez have criticized Spanish refereeing for years, it was the comments made last week that exhausted the patience of both the refereeing establishment and the union.

With the AESAF lodging a second complaint against the Real Madrid president, it remains to be seen how Perez and the club respond.