SUMMARY
- Barcelona president Joan Laporta and several other managers made important claims regarding the bias of referees towards Real Madrid.
- These claims did not sit well with the Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti.
In response to Barcelona, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti aimed the rivalry between the two teams about officiating standards. Pursuing titles last weekend, Real Madrid upset bottom-of-the-table rival Almeria 3-2 in La Liga after several disputed VAR decisions went in their favor.
Barca manager Xavi commented on the incident, saying his team could not have expected such good fortune with the referee’s calls. Barcelona president Joan Laporta also made important claims regarding the bias of referees towards Real Madrid.
Ancelotti is asked about Laporta’s claims that the League is rigged (In Real Madrid’s favour): Let’s not deflect shots, we know what has been happening for the last 20 years in Spanish football
byu/el_rompe_toyotas_19 insoccer
However, these claims did not sit well with the Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti. He said, “I think the same thing I already said, that we must not divert the shot [elsewhere]. Everyone knows what has happened in Spanish football and that’s the problem,” aiming a jibe towards their arch-rivals, Barcelona.
It remains to be seen what happens next with Real Madrid in the remainder of the 2023-24 season as they are in the hunt for the La Liga title as well as the glorious UEFA Champions League trophy. On the contrary, whether Xavi or Laporta hit back at Ancelotti remains to be seen in the coming days.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta makes huge claims against Real Madrid and the La Liga
Mundo Deportivo, a Spanish publication, revealed earlier this week that Laporta had said that VAR had been “hostage” by Los Blancos. He also claimed that the league had been “rigged” in response to their contentious 3-2 victory over Almeria at the Bernabeu on January 21.
Joan Laporta: “There is like a conspiracy of union in the locker room and only not to talk about union for the fact of living together, but of helping each other. When there is a player who is going through it with certain difficulties, the others have to help him. There is a… pic.twitter.com/7t1SOt9rRl
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) January 26, 2024
“We are seeing that an instrument that was there to help [the referees], the VAR, is not helping them and has been taken hostage. It is like an abuse victim, based on the pressure that our rival is exerting continuously and constantly, which is no longer punctual but consistent,” Laporta claimed regarding the biases towards Real Madrid by La Liga.
Spanish referee Mateu Lahoz reveals crucial information regarding the Negreira case
Barcelona paid Negreira approximately €7-8 million ($8–8.7 million) over 17 years for what they said were consulting and scouting reports; nonetheless, they are today facing charges of bribes and sporting corruption. Barcelona denies any wrongdoing in this case, which has tarnished the standing of Spanish football.
The most recent details regarding the procedure during Negreira’s vice president term can be found in the testimony of roughly twenty leaked referees; the referees named are Antonio Mateu Lahoz, Santiago Jaime Latre, and Alfonso Pino Zamorano.
🚨🌕| The judge of the Negreira case has charged FC Barcelona with ‘possible corruption’ & ‘possible bribery’ after JOHN HONESTY provided strong evidence in the Negriera case @COPE pic.twitter.com/j0KmECBa7s
— Managing Barça (@ManagingBraca) September 28, 2023
Mateu Lahoz stated, “Negreira controlled the referee qualification system from his position to favor like-minded people to officiate matches. Relevant League or Cup and international matches or even maintain the category, thus increasing their income significantly.
Mateu wLahoz confirms that Negreira’s bar had “organized dinners,” saying that he was aware of assistants who were invited but turned them down in person. Meanwhile, Pino Zamorano discloses that he, Negreira, and other authorities once were in a karaoke club. What transpires in this case over the next few months or years is still up in the air.