Barcelona president Joan Laporta has returned to the spotlight, addressing some of the most sensitive issues surrounding the club in a recent interview with the newspaper El País.
During the interview, Laporta indicated that Real Madrid has benefited more from refereeing decisions than any other club in La Liga history. The Catalan president also expressed no regret over Lionel Messi departure, considering it the right decision to protect his club at the time.
Laporta: Refereeing Is Always on Real Madrid’s Side
Laporta dismissed the widespread notion that the alleged bribery case involving José Luis Negrera would be a “stain” on Barcelona’s history. He strongly criticized Real Madrid, claiming that Los Blancos suffer from a “Barça phobia.”
When asked about the impact on Barcelona’s reputation, he said, “No, this is simply an institutional smear campaign that, fortunately, has failed. There are vested interests at play, originating from Madrid.”
“Every time the case nears its conclusion, they present inconclusive evidence, but the judge, in order to prove he handled the process properly, finds himself forced to extend the investigation for another six months,” he continued.
Laporta added, “They are trying to fabricate a lie that referees favor Barcelona over Madrid, and in doing so, they seek to tarnish the most glorious moment in the club’s history, which began with Rijkaard and continued with Guardiola.”
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He further stated, “I’ve always felt we have to be far superior because the referees don’t favor us. Here, it seems they always help Madrid.”
He added sharply, “They suffer from ‘Barcelona-phobia,’ that’s obvious. Now they criticize us for hiring someone who was vice-president of the referees’ committee, while they had presidents of the referees’ committee who were linked to Madrid.”
Laporta Reveals Breakdown in His Relationship with Florentino Pérez
Laporta also addressed his relationship with Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, confirming that tensions have recently increased.
“It’s been a long time (since we last spoke),” the Barcelona president said. “Since his involvement in the Negrera affair, the relationship has deteriorated. I respect him, and I feel he respected me too.”
Essentially, Barcelona was allied with Real Madrid in creating the European Super League, but Barça ultimately withdrew from the project, and this is where the relationship with Pérez began to sour.
“We decided to withdraw from the Super League because it had lost its purpose; it wasn’t working, and we had already told them so,” Laporta explained.
“Moreover, UEFA was taking steps to improve the sustainability of football in Europe,” he continued.
Laporta: I don’t regret Messi’s departure in 2021
Laporta explained that, from his perspective, Lionel Messi’s departure in 2021 was necessary to rebuild the team and secure Barcelona’s long-term future.
He stated, “I did what I had to do. Leo was nearing the end of his career, and we needed to build a new team. Would I have liked to build the new team with Leo’s help? Yes, we tried, but it wasn’t meant to be.”
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Regarding Messi’s future with Barcelona and the possibility of his return, he said, “He is a pivotal player of his generation, just like Kubala and Cruyff. He deserves a statue and a testimonial match.”
He concluded, “Barcelona is his home. The relationship in the near future will be as Leo wants and as Barça wants. At some point, our interests will align again.”
