Eternal rivals have clashed over refereeing case as well as Miami controversy
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has acknowledged that relations with rivals Real Madrid are more strained than ever.
The club chief cited Madrid’s continued involvement in the ongoing Negreira case as currently the highest point of tension between the two clubs.
Laporta said: “Relations aren’t good because they appeared in the Negreira case, presenting irrelevant and inconclusive evidence. Having the case open must be of some interest to them. We don’t like it, and it’s a tense situation.”
The Negreira case refers to allegations that Barcelona paid around €8m to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of Spain’s refereeing committee (CTA), between 2001 and 2018.
Prosecutors claim the payments were made to influence refereeing decisions in favour of Barcelona. The Catalan club have firmly denied it, insisting the money was for advisory services and scouting reports.
Real Madrid have taken a particularly hard stance since the scandal broke early last year. The club’s board met in emergency session in March 2023 to review the allegations and, according to reports, resolved to monitor the case closely.
Club officials have since demanded full transparency from Barcelona and potential sanctions should they be found guilty.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s official channel, Real Madrid TV, has intensified its coverage of the Negreira case.
The channel has always posted sensational videos criticising refereeing decisions. Ahead of the Copa del Rey final last season, the official who was appointed to be in charge of the match, Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea, cried at the pre-game press conference while responding to a video published by Real Madrid TV accusing him of bias against the club.
This season Madrid has also vowed to lodge an official complaint to Fifa centring on alleged refereeing inconsistencies.
Laporta criticised the club for going beyond sporting rivalry.
“We’re eternal rivals and we handle it with respect,” said Laporta. “I didn’t want to get into the issue of the match in Miami against Villarreal.
“We saw opposition from the AFE (Spanish players’ union) and other clubs from the very beginning. I don’t believe the competition will be compromised.”
Tensions arose between the two clubs after La Liga made plans to take competitive league games abroad. Barcelona were to be the inaugural team alongside Villareal, and both Laporta and La Liga president Javier Tebas were the leading figures.
However, there was significant opposition to the move and Madrid were among the foremost opponents, issuing a statement condemning the move and urging its cancellation.
The plans fell through after promoters Relevent finally pulled out due to concerns stemming from a La Liga-wide protest by players.
