Tomas Roncero, the well-known analyst on El Chiringuito and deputy editor-in-chief of AS newspaper, has insisted that the trust of Real Madrid's supporters in the Spanish refereeing system has reached a point that is difficult to repair, because of the payments made by Barcelona to Enriquez Negreira, pointing out that any referee knows that helping the Whites will land him in trouble, while helping the Catalan side will bring him benefits.
Real Madrid are furious after what unfolded against Villarreal last Saturday evening at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Whites took all three points with a 1-0 win, Yan Diomande scoring in the second half.
But the spotlight swung entirely onto Vinicius Junior, sent off for pulling Saliba's hair in an incident that ended with the Brazilian scoring a goal.
So deep did the anger run that Jose Mourinho skipped the post-match press conference, and not a single Real Madrid representative spoke to the media.
Roncero, known for his support of Real Madrid, conveyed this feeling during an appearance on Spanish radio station "SER", on the latest edition of the programme "Carrusel Canalla". He reckons the lack of trust among Real Madrid's supporters towards the Spanish refereeing system has become something "impossible to reconcile", because of the payments made by Barcelona to Enriquez Negreira.
"They are the same people who were there with Negreira or who were trained by him," Roncero said. "The referee who made mistakes in Barcelona's favour saw things improve for him, he got the international badge and he was handed the Copa del Rey final. That was their way of influencing refereeing. And unless new referees arrive who have not been affected by these matters, it is impossible for the situation to change."
He added: "Any referee knows that if he favours Real Madrid, he will have a problem. But if he does it with Barcelona, things will go wonderfully for him."
In closing, Roncero recalled one of the most prominent refereeing controversies in Spanish football in recent years, saying: "On the eve of the Copa del Rey final between Real Madrid and Barcelona, the two referees who were due to officiate the match attacked Real Madrid during a press conference."
Roncero also defended the videos published by Real Madrid Television and its direct criticism of the refereeing system, saying: "Sometimes in life, a person has to rebel against injustice. The videos published by Real Madrid Television contain real images, they are not generated by artificial intelligence."
While the Competition Committee weighs its decision, expectations point to Vinicius Junior missing the upcoming Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, scheduled for 25 October at the Camp Nou.
He will also sit out the clash with Sevilla, scheduled for the following round of La Liga at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
The punishment could stretch to a three-match ban if the committee takes into account the conduct deemed inappropriate towards the referee after his dismissal. That would also rule him out of Racing against Real Madrid at the start of November.