This weekend’s El Clasico showdown between Barcelona and Real Madrid promises to be another tasty clash between the two bitter rivals, and while there will be a lot of focus on the pitch at the Spotify Camp Nou, there will be a notable absentee off it.
Since news first broke in 2023 of Barcelona making payments to Enriquez Negreira during his tenure as Vice-President of the Technical Committee of Referees, for which they have been accused of sporting corruption, institutional relations with Real Madrid have soured significantly. Since then, there has no longer been pre-match meals held between the club’s executives, and in regards to Florentino Perez, he has chosen not to attend the matches in Catalonia.
This is a trend that will continue this weekend, with El Chiringuito (via MD) reporting that Perez has made the decision to stay away from the Spotify Camp Nou for Sunday’s El Clasico showdown. An official meal will also not take place, due to the fact that the Real Madrid president will not be in attendance.
Sunday’s match will be the first El Clasico meeting since Joan Laporta was re-elected as Barcelona president, although he will not be Perez will not be there to engage with his opposite number. It’s unsure how this will be received within the offices of Can Barca, although it is a situation they are used to now.
What’s the latest in the Negreira case?
It has been three years since the Negreira case first broke, and in the last 12-18 months, the matter has been investigated on a legal level. Barcelona stand accused of a number of crimes related to their payments to Negreira, although they continue to maintain their innocence on the matter.
Real Madrid continue to stand against Real Madrid in the legal case, as they and Barcelona both await an outcome.
