Real Madrid to take legal action against former commissioner Villarejo over referee bribery claims

Real Madrid have announced that they will take legal action against former police commissioner Jose Manuel Villarejo, who accused the club of bribing referees in the past.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the club said that they have instructed their lawyers to file a lawsuit against Villarejo for the false and slanderous accusations he made on the Catalan radio station RAC1 on Monday, where he stated Real Madrid bribed referees “before Barcelona”.

Villarejo, who has been involved in several criminal cases since 2014, claimed that he had evidence of Real Madrid paying off referees to favour them in crucial matches, especially against Barcelona.

Real Madrid’s statement, which was officially posted on their website today, reads as follows:

“The president of Real Madrid CF, Florentino Pérez, has ordered the immediate filing of judicial action against former Commissioner Villarejo for the false accusations [of Bribing referees] made on the Catalan radio station RAC1.”