A former La Liga referee has alleged arrested administrator Angel Maria Villar solidified his power base by ordering the officials to vote his way.
Alfonso Pino Zamorano has told El Espanol that referees were told to vote in Villar’s favour in Spanish Football Federation elections, though he denied being ordered to fix any matches.
“I can’t say outside of the referees but we were directed to vote for Villar. Ultimately, the referees won the elections,” AS quotes Zamorano as saying.
“One of Villar’s proposals this year was to increase the number of votes for referees, because he controls them.”
Zamorano also alleged a system of bribery and patronage endemic among referees and administrators in order for the officials to progress.
“I went up to the Primera Division with all the excitement in the world and then people who supported you tell you that you have to give 5% to a representative, it’s amazing,” he continued.
“If you get to be the referees’ representatives and you have two officials and two assistants paying 5% of €200,000, for doing nothing but saying to the Federation ‘this guy is good,’ it’s a bribe.
“I don’t know of fixing the results of matches. At least not me. I had a military career and for me, two and two is four. If somebody had told me I had to let one team or the other win, I would have gone to the authorities."
