Real accused of desperate tactics in title run-in

Real Madrid are being accused of resorting to increasingly desperate off-the-pitch tactics in their bid to overhaul title rivals Barcelona.

Real fullback Roberto Carlos has been widely criticised for his claims that Barca are guaranteed of winning their final match of the season against Real Sociedad because fans of the Basque side want the Catalans to win the title.

The club's website has also been censured by a leading referee because of its fierce attack on the performance of a fellow official in the team's recent 2-1 victory against Villarreal.

Real Sociedad defender Aitor Lopez Rekarte dismissed Roberto Carlos's declarations as ludicrous.

"It is complete drivel when they take it for granted that Barca will win their last game here in Anoeta," the fullback was quoted as saying in sports daily Marca on Wednesday.

"The truth is that given where these declarations come from and the way in which they were said, they don't even offend me."

Roberto Carlos had claimed that Barcelona would not need to try very hard to win their final game of the season against Sociedad.

"You can forget the last game in San Sebastian," he said on Tuesday. "Barcelona only have three games really because their fourth against Real Sociedad doesn't exist."

"The other day when they played us the Real Sociedad fans were cheering 'Barca, Barca' during the match and so they've already got that match in the bag."

"I don't count that game after what I saw on Saturday. Sociedad won't play as hard against Barcelona as they did against us. Everyone wants to beat Real Madrid, everyone wants to beat the best team in the world."

Referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez, who will referee Real's next league game against Racing Santander on Saturday, was showered with compliments by the club's website earlier this week.

However he said he was appalled by the way the club had criticised colleague Bernadino Gonzalez Vazquez for his refereering of the Villarreal match, a game in which Real players Zinedine Zidane and Walter Samuel were sent off.

"A week ago the same page accused a colleague of committing seven capital sins and of being a Barcelona fan," said Iturralde Gonzalez. "Maybe now they are trying to clean up their image, but I prefer these compliments after the game not before."

"Each person tries to use the weapons at their disposal and this is the one they (Real) are trying to use at the moment ... I'm very annoyed as it seems that the only people that make mistakes are the referees."

"This campaign is being directed, but these sort of things can generate violence."

Barcelona have a six-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of the table with four matches left to play.

They have a difficult away game at last season's champions Valencia on Sunday, while Real host struggling Racing Santander at the Bernabeu on Saturday.

If Real lose and Barca win, the Catalans will claim their first league title in six years as they have a better record in head-to-head meetings between the two sides this season.