Barcelona president Joan Laporta accused his Real Madrid counterpart Florentino Pérez of having “Barcelona-itis,” a condition with symptoms which he defines as an “obsession” with the Catalan giants.
Given the passion of the accusations made by Laporta towards Real Madrid’s supposed influence over referees, it appears that the unhealthy focus flows both ways.
Pérez stoked the flames of this slanging match at Madrid’s general assembly last week when he once again referenced the ‘Negreira Case’—the ongoing formal investigation into the €8.4 million (£7.3 million, $9.7 million) worth of payments Barcelona allegedly made to former vice president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) refereeing committee José María Enríquez Negreira.
Laporta had to wait five days before he was given the chance to respond. He didn’t mince his words. “I think they’re out of line,” the president seethed, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo, “they reveal Madrid’s obsession with Barcelona. It seems they have to talk about Barça to justify who knows what.
“They’re constantly present in the legal proceedings of the ‘Negreira Case,’ which they’re dragging out like chewing gum because they know there’s nothing to it, but it’s a way of justifying something that isn’t true: Barça has never bribed referees, and referees generally don’t favor Barça; they’ve always favored Madrid.”
Laporta insisted that this bias is as prominent as ever.
Laporta: Barcelona Should Be Leading La Liga
Ramping up his tirade, Laporta turned his attention towards Madrid’s contentious 2–2 draw with Elche last Sunday, which saw both of the capital club’s goals mired in controversy.
“Just last matchday, Real Madrid scored two goals that, in my opinion, clearly involved [Jude] Bellingham handling the ball, and in the other, Vinicius [Junior] broke [Elche goalkeeper] Iñaki [Peña]’s nose. Those two goals shouldn’t have stood, and Barça would be leading La Liga right now.”
Madrid escaped that underwhelming display with a point, which represents the slender advantage Xabi Alonso’s side boast at the summit of the La Liga table.
In the eyes of Laporta, each result Madrid achieve is forever tainted by the pressure exerted by the club’s in-house media outlets. “Real Madrid’s television channel is trying to influence the referees every week,” the Barcelona chief insisted.
Real Madrid’s ‘Persecution Complex’ Over Barcelona’s Golden Age
During his rant about the Negreira case, which covers payments made between 2001–18, Pérez claimed that this conspiracy led to Barcelona’s “best sporting results.” Laporta did not take kindly to Madrid’s attempts to derail the golden age of his club.
“They have a persecution complex against the best period in Barça’s history,” he moaned. “They didn’t like that Barça was the world’s leading team from 2004–15, a period of dominance, and they’re trying to find excuses that lead nowhere.
Barcelona, Real Madrid Records Between 2004–15
“We were the team that played the best football, recognized, admired, and esteemed for what we gave, recognized for what we did, and admired for how we did it. We won many titles, and Barça’s style of play was admired worldwide, so don’t make excuses.”
“If they’re caught up in Barcelona-itis, I’m happy for them because those are usually times when Barça is successful and triumphs,” Laporta concluded.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Wild Accusations Between Barcelona, Real Madrid Presidents Escalate.
