Real Madrid have called a board meeting for Sunday to discuss alleged attempts by arch rivals Barcelona to influence referees, the club said on Saturday.
Spanish prosecutors filed a complaint on Friday against Barcelona and two of the LaLiga club’s former presidents over alleged payments to a company owned by a senior refereeing official to influence match results.
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Barcelona have denied any wrongdoing.
Real Madrid said in a statement its president, Florentino Perez, had convened a board of directors meeting for 12 p.m [CET] on Sunday “to decide on the actions that Real Madrid deems appropriate in relation to this matter.”
It did not elaborate on the potential actions.
A senior Barcelona official told Reuters on Friday the club had expected the prosecutors’ complaint and described it as “nothing more than an absolutely preliminary investigative hypothesis.”
The official added the club “will fully cooperate with the investigation by all means necessary” and “reiterates that they have never bought any referee nor have tried to influence any official’s decisions.”
At a news conference to preview Barcelona’s LaLiga game against Athletic Club on Sunday, Barca coach Xavi was asked whether he was worried about the case.
“It’s more a question for the president,” Xavi said. “But he tells me we don’t have to be concerned. We only really talk about football.”
