In a dramatic and defiant new defense of the club amid the ongoing “Negreira Case,” FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta has launched a scathing attack on historic rivals Real Madrid, alleging that the club has enjoyed undue influence over Spanish refereeing for the better part of a century.
Speaking publicly, Laporta sought to contextualize the payments made by Barcelona to a former vice-president of referees as a necessary, albeit ill-advised, measure to level a playing field he claims has always been tilted in favor of the Merengues.
“For 72 years, Real Madrid dominated the Referees Committee, by having ex-Real Madrid players, ex-Real Madrid coaches, or ex-Real Madrid executives on it,” Laporta stated, painting a picture of institutional control by the Madrid-based club. He argued that what his club did is fundamentally different. “What we did, is simply pay for ‘scouting reports’ and ‘referee advice,’ it wasn’t corruption.”
The Barcelona president then pivoted to a more personal and conspiratorial tone, suggesting that the club’s actions were a direct response to a long-standing structural imbalance. “Compare that to everything we had to go through with Real Madrid. Ever since I was five years old, Real Madrid always dominated ‘in this.’ Maybe they didn’t need to do the ‘referee advice’ services we did with Negreira, because they had everything ready and done and free already.”
This statement frames the alleged payments of over €7 million to José MarÃa EnrÃquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), not as an attempt to influence match officials, but as a way to purchase a service—referee analysis and advice—that Real Madrid, he claims, inherently possessed.
“So Barca had to pay to get what Madrid were getting for free?” Laporta asked rhetorically. “I’m saying Barca had to pay to get referee advice and scouting, while Madrid were in charge of everything. Seriously, do you not know who Madrid are?”
Laporta’s remarks represent a significant escalation in the war of words between the two Spanish giants. By directly accusing Real Madrid of wielding historical power over the CTA, he is attempting to shift the focus from Barcelona’s financial dealings to the alleged systemic privileges of their biggest rival.
Real Madrid has yet to issue an official response to Laporta’s latest accusations. However, the club has previously filed a formal complaint regarding the ‘Negreira Case,’ and is a civil party to the legal proceedings currently underway, which have sent shockwaves through Spanish football.
Laporta’s defense is likely to be met with fierce criticism from Madrid and is sure to further inflame one of the most bitter rivalries in world sport, turning the legal proceedings into a battlefield over the very integrity of Spanish football’s governance.
