Spanish giants Real Madrid have committed to supporting the corruption charges against their archrivals Barcelona.
Spanish giants Real Madrid have committed to supporting the corruption charges against their archrivals Barcelona.
The Catalans are facing charges to do with paying money to the vice president of Spain' referees' committee. However, Real say it is ready to defend its interests when proceedings open.
"Real Madrid wishes to express its utmost concern regarding the gravity of the facts and reiterates its confidence in the legal system," the reigning Spanish champions said in a statement.
"The club has agreed that, in defence of its legitimate rights, it will appear at the trial when the judge opens it up to the affected parties."
Prosecutors allege that Barca paid 8.4m euros to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira and his company in return for favourable refereeing decisions.
Barcelona denied any wrongdoing and acknowledged the payments were made to Dasnil 95 between 2001 and 2018.
The Catalan club described the company as "an external technical consultant" who were paid to compile video reports related to professional referees "to complement the information required by the coaching staff".
Former Barcelona presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu, Sandro Rosell, and Negreira have also been indicted alongside the club.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta responded by insisting the club is the "victim of a campaign" to "harm its honourability", urging fans to remain "calm".
Barcelona's Public Prosecutor's office brought the lawsuit.
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