Barcelona president Joan Laporta has once again escalated his public feud with Real Madrid and its president Florentino Perez. Speaking at Barcelona’s traditional pre-Christmas dinner, Laporta unleashed harsh criticism of the club’s eternal rival, describing them as practicing “cynicism and excessive arrogance” and attacking Real Madrid’s television network, which he accused of spreading lies and misinformation “constantly and permanently.”
Laporta, who had previously responded to Perez’s accusations regarding the Negreira case, called Madrid’s attitude “acute Barcelonitis”, emphasizing that envy and mismanagement have fueled ongoing smear campaigns against Barcelona. He stated:
“I have to say that this dimension we have reached also generates envy, and those who, using bad arts, skip all codes of conduct, ethical and moral, and not only sports… are the architects of permanent smear campaigns against our shield and our essence. We are not going to allow this.”
In front of all professional squads and their technical staff at Palau Blaugrana, Laporta did not hold back, framing his message as both a critique and a call for optimism. He hinted at the upcoming elections and expressed his hope for continued success:
“I would like to continue to see you here next Christmas celebrating Barça’s successes. Visca el Barça and visca Catalunya.”
Laporta also gave a personal interview with TVE, where he reiterated his criticism of Real Madrid’s handling of the Negreira case:
“In Madrid there is a sense of power, in Barcelona freedom. Relations with Florentino are fine. They want to stretch the Negreira process like chewing gum. Now they have chronic barcelonitis. They spend their days talking about Negreira. We have explained it very well and have provided evidence in court that we bought referees, because it did not happen.”
This latest statement continues the public war of words between Spain’s two football giants, highlighting the tension that surrounds one of the most heated rivalries in world football.
