A few hours before the Clásico kicks off at the Santiago Bernabéu, the newspaper Marca brought together two emblematic former Spanish players for a dinner at Pulpería Casa Lampazas: Luis Milla, representing Real Madrid, and Julio Salinas, figure of FC Barcelona. Invited to address the theme of these clashes between Merengues and Blaugranas, the two men inevitably mentioned refereeing and the perception of a possible media imbalance between the two clubs. Julio Salinas did not mince his words.
“From my point of view, referees should be foreigners. Throughout my career, I always felt at a disadvantage against Real Madrid. Real Madrid fans will say the opposite and will mention the Negreira affair, but the statistics are there. The media pressure exerted by Real Madrid television in Spain is enormous and has an impact »he accused. To which Luis Milla responded in a more measured manner, before validating his compatriot's idea: “Neither Barcelona nor Madrid should consider themselves to be systematically disadvantaged. What is clear is that the referee works under constant pressure. This is why I would not hesitate to call on foreign referees. »
