Referees always favour Real Madrid — Barcelona president fires back at Florentino Perez

Barcelona's president, Joan Laporta, has offered a sharp retort to Real Madrid’s Florentino Perez, accusing him of nefariously reviving allegations surrounding the ongoing Negreira case, despite knowing they lack merit. 

Laporta made a recent media appearance, in which he denied the accusations that Barcelona were involved in referee fixing, accusing Real Madrid of enjoying undue favours from referees by citing recent examples.

“Florentino Perez' statements about Barça? Real Madrid are involved at every moment in the judicial process of the Negreira case, stretching it like chewing gum even though they know there’s nothing there,” he said, per Barca Times. 

“Barcelona has never bought referees, and in general, referees have not favoured Barcelona; they have favoured Madrid throughout history.

“Just look at the last matchday: Madrid scored two goals that, in my opinion, were not valid — Bellingham gave the assist with his hand, and in the other one Vinicius broke Peña’s nose. Those two goals shouldn’t have counted, and Barça would be leading the league right now. So don't give us lessons.”

As Pulse Sports reported, Real Madrid's president, Florentino Perez, reignited the controversy surrounding the ‘Negreira case’ by referencing the disparity in red cards between Los Blancos and Barcelona in that period during their last general assembly. 

He maintained that the payments Barcelona made to the former vice president of RFEF’s technical committee of referees, Jose Maria Enrique Negreira, for a 17-year period were abnormal, noting that the payments coincided with the most successful period in Barcelona history.