Earlier this week, Joan Laporta – who is running for re-election as Barcelona president – launched his new book, titled “Así salvamos al Barça” (This is how we save Barça). One of the sections was devoted to addressing the continued allegations aimed at the Catalan club regarding the Negreira case.
Laporta has regularly denied any allegations of wrongdoing in relation to Barcelona’s payments to Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees. As per Marca, he did so again in his book.
“There is no evidence to show that the payments made by FC Barcelona to companies linked to the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees influenced the selection of referees or altered the results of matches. I invite all those who accuse us of refereeing corruption with such levity and frivolity to specify the match, the goal, the play or the suspicious act of favouritism that allegedly occurred as a result of this technical advice.”
Laporta: Real Madrid have appointed referees for 70 years
Rather, Laporta took the opportunity to point the finger at Real Madrid. He believes the Bernabeu club have directly benefitted from a string of appointments at the CTA, dating as far back as 70 years ago.
“It is worth remembering that, for seven decades and almost uninterruptedly, the presidents of the referees’ committees, under their various names, were Real Madrid fans, former players or former managers and, in some cases, all three at the same time. That is to say, for seventy years, the members, former players or former directors of Real Madrid appointed the referees who had to dispense justice on the field of play in each and every one of the matches of La Liga and the Copa del Rey. That was, without a doubt, the biggest scandal in the history of Spanish football!”
