Barcelona president Joan Laporta gave a deep dive into the much-discussed ‘Negreira case’ during a press conference at Camp Nou on Monday. Laporta reacted cynically to earlier statements from the camp of arch-rival Real Madrid.
Laporta discusses ‘Negreira case’ and lashes out at Tebas, Ceferin and Real
According to Laporta, a “slander campaign” has been going on for two months “that has nothing to do with reality”. “We win our matches by playing well, without the help of arbitration. We have certain opponents, with a certain envy, who are now attacking us,” the Barca president said in his speech to the media present.
“’When the ‘Negreira case’ came out, I already said it was no coincidence,” says Laporta, who commissioned an external agency to draw up a report. According to the chairman, that report shows that Barcelona has never taken any action that would have resulted in a form of competition distortion. He added, “The authorities also cannot prove that payments made have influenced a match result.”
“Eventually, Enriquez Negreira will also provide explanations again. But no one from the club has ever asked him to side with us. They were payments for services. I am convinced that the presidents who succeeded me at Barcelona have not bribed or influenced any arbitrators,” said the current Barca president. The ‘Negreira case’ concerns payments made between 2001 and 2018 to a company owned by former referee boss José Maria Enríquez Negreira.
Laporta argues that Barcelona has fallen victim to individuals who want to harm the club. “We count on justice. The so-called allegations must be proven in court, but we are already being lynched in public without trial,” said Laporta, referring to La Liga president Javier Tebas, among others. “He has found us guilty before, I think that is very irresponsible. UEFA president Ceferin has also made insulting statements, probably because we support the Super League project.”
“The ‘Negreira case’ has nothing to do with crime or corruption”
According to Laporta, Barcelona and a team of lawyers are fighting to defend themselves against the accusations. “The ‘Negreira case’ has nothing to do with crime or corruption,” said the president, who then pointed to Real Madrid. “Everyone knows Real is a club that has been favored by referees in the past. It was the regime’s club. For seven decades, the presidents of the referees have been former members of Real, former players or former directors. And sometimes all at once. The fact that Real claims that they feel sportingly harmed is an unprecedented form of cynicism. Hopefully this trial will expose them.”
