Former Barça Player Slams Real Madrid and Its TV Channel

A few hours before the Clásico kick-off at Santiago Bernabéu, Marca hosted a dinner with two former iconic Spanish players: Luis Milla representing Real Madrid and Julio Salinas from FC Barcelona. During their discussion about the rivalry between the Merengues and the Blaugranas, both brought up the topic of refereeing and the perceived media bias between the two clubs, leading to a candid exchange from Salinas.

“In my view, referees should be foreign. Throughout my career, I often felt disadvantaged against Real Madrid. Real Madrid fans may argue otherwise and mention the Negreira case, but the statistics speak for themselves. The media pressure exerted by Real Madrid’s TV channel in Spain is immense and has an impact,” Salinas stated. Milla responded more cautiously but supported Salinas’s idea: “Neither Barcelona nor Madrid should see themselves as consistently disadvantaged. What’s clear is that referees work under constant pressure. That’s why I wouldn’t hesitate to call for foreign referees.”