Just when things looked good for FC Barcelona, it seems, all is slowly falling apart again. The Catalan giants are surrounded by accusations of bribery in a refereeing scandal. On this note, another shocking revelation has come to light. A referee has admitted that he was effectively banned from officiating Real Madrid games after issuing a red card to none other than Cristiano Ronaldo.

Such scandals and controversies have been going on for years. However, shocking and unexpected stories about the same have been surfacing lately. A few months ago, Barcelona was in trouble over facing a Champions League ban from UEFA over a referee scandal that occurred between 2010 and 2020.

Referee explains ban from Real Madrid games after sending off Cristiano Ronaldo

Earlier, there have been instances where both Barcelona and Real Madrid have been entangled in referee scandals. With Barcelona’s ongoing controversy, another eyebrow-raising incident has been revealed regarding their arch-rivals. A video surfaced on X where a former La Liga referee, Estrada Fernandez, shared an incident from 2009. While officiating a Real Madrid match, he sent off Cristiano Ronaldo.

Following that incident, Fernandez wasn’t allowed to referee another Real Madrid game. He said, “In 2009, I sent off Cristiano Ronaldo in a match. That season, they didn’t allow me to referee another Real Madrid game. There is media power. You have to be careful when making a decision due to this pressure.”

Fernández insists the media has the ability to influence things and acknowledges that referees must be careful while making decisions. Certainly, this stunning revelation raises questions not just about the virtue of refereeing but also about the influence of the world’s biggest soccer clubs on the decisions made on the field.

Meanwhile, let’s dive deeper to learn more about Barcelona’s latest scandal involving former refereeing vice president Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.

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All about FC Barcelona’s latest referee scandal

FC Barcelona has faced bribery charges in the Negreira case. According to the Barcelona Court of Instruction Number One Judge, an amount of €7.5 million, or $8 million, was reportedly paid to José María Enríquez Negreira, the former Vice President of the Technical Committee of Referees.

The Catalan giants made these payments over a span of 17 years to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. The club is now facing charges related to bribery. Reports from El Debate suggest that Josep Maria Bartomeu, Sandro Rosell, Negreira, and his son have all been involved in this case. While the club has already been charged, there are no plans for immediate arrests, according to police sources. It remains to be seen how the case unfolds.

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