Laporta’s inaugural jab at Real Madrid fuels club rivalry

At the Barcelona club’s inauguration ceremony on Wednesday, president Joan Laporta took a pointed swipe at Real Madrid and its president Florentino Perez, linking the ongoing Negreira case to the rivalry and pledging to defend Barça’s member‑owned ethos against commercial giants. Over the last three years, institutional relations between Real Madrid and Barcelona have drastically soured, largely due to the Negreira case. Florentino Perez has made clear his desire to see the Catalan club punished over the payments made to Jose Maria Enrique Negreira. President Joan Laporta has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing concerning the payments to Jose Maria Enrique Negreira, former vice‑president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA). He has rejected the allegations on several occasions. Real Madrid responded by sending a dossier to UEFA last month, calling for Barcelona’s titles to be stripped. The move caused great frustration in Catalonia, especially as Los Blancos are already positioned as an injured party in the ongoing legal case investigated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

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The Negreira case remains under investigation by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, with no resolution in sight. Real Madrid and its president remain steadfast in their plans to seek punishment for Barcelona. Laporta’s speech stressed that Barça will continue as a club owned by its members, which he said forces imagination to fight against clubs that are commercial companies. “We want to continue being a club owned by the members and that forces us to be imaginative to fight against clubs that are commercial companies,” he declared.

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He added that the club will defend its dignity against attacks, promising a strong president and board. “There are some who do not rest, and in the face of attacks on Barça and our dignity, they will always find a strong president and board with a leadership aimed at defending the institution against everything and everyone,” Laporta said. Real Madrid and Florentino Perez are unlikely to be affected by Laporta’s comments, but they persist in seeking punishment, even though an outcome may be delayed. The likelihood is that they will be kept waiting for a resolution in the legal case for some time.