Joan Laporta on Negreira Case: Accuses Real Madrid of Influence, Explains Superleague Exit

Former Barcelona President Joan Laporta has accused Real Madrid of exerting influence over the Referees Committee (CTA) for an astonishing 72 years. These comments came as Laporta addressed questions concerning the Negreira case, in which Barcelona currently faces allegations of sporting corruption from the Spanish public prosecutor. These accusations follow the discovery of payments totaling €7-8 million made over a 17-year period to companies linked to former CTA Vice-President Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. Barcelona has consistently maintained its innocence.

Ahead of a Sunday re-election bid, where Victor Font is his primary challenger, Laporta spoke on Cadena Cope. He responded to accusations from Xavi Hernandez regarding Lionel Messi's failed return and the involvement of his former brother-in-law, Alejandro Echevarria, at the club. The Negreira case was also a prominent subject during the interview.

Laporta asserted, 'We employ advisors. The vice-president of the referees’ committee played no significant role. The company’s activities were far broader, and it was managed by his son. Those were different times. Don’t you find it disgraceful that for 72 years, the committee was staffed by Real Madrid members? All of them. Isn’t that scandalous? Our payments were for referee advice, not for sporting corruption. Yet, you never pose these questions to them; stop trying to corner me.'

‘What Barca did was done very well’ – Laporta

Laporta was also pressed on his slogan, ‘against it all and against everyone.’ He reiterated his focus on Real Madrid’s connections to the CTA. '“Against all odds and against everyone” is a phrase meant to highlight what Barcelona has endured for years. The club was controlled, subdued. It was under external influence; certain actions were permitted with the ultimate aim of leading to this current situation. The excessively high contracts lacked any proper economic scrutiny.'

Laporta continued, 'We faced a smear campaign orchestrated from Madrid concerning the Negreira case. What Barcelona did was entirely legal and executed properly. At that time, payments were made to a company – which we have identified – that provided referee reports to analyze official performance. I am confident Real Madrid engaged in similar practices. Currently, Real Madrid benefits from Megia Davila, whose wife is part of the Referees’ Committee. Does that not strike you as disgraceful? It appears perfectly normal to you. Perhaps they never needed to retain refereeing experts because they were already accomplishing this, arguably even more effectively. Was this not recognized in Madrid? Is what Barcelona does disgraceful, but what Madrid did was not?'

‘I warned Florentino about Superleague exit’

Since Barcelona distanced itself from the Superleague, a project initiated by Real Madrid President Florentino Perez, there has been a noticeable increase in calls for Barcelona to be penalized in the Negreira case. Laporta stated that he had informed Perez of Barcelona's intention to withdraw from the competition.

'Whenever Real Madrid faces a downturn, a decision invariably emerges that seems to benefit them. I hope to dismiss that thought from my mind. Real Madrid’s current television coverage does not accurately reflect contemporary reality. Florentino and I did not discuss this specific matter, only the Super League. We had initially agreed on a project that held potential benefits for European football. Our aim was to challenge state-owned clubs. I informed Florentino of my intention to seek reconciliation. I met with him and explained that the project was faltering, and that we needed to reach an understanding with UEFA. He concurred.'

Laporta continued, 'Subsequently, I discovered that certain representatives from Real Madrid approached UEFA, stating that the agreement we had reached with Barcelona did not apply to them. We persisted with the Super League procedure to avert potential penalties. It appears Real Madrid eventually followed a similar path, and that is how this chapter concluded. During the Super League initiative, my relationship with Florentino was distinct. Florentino assisted in ensuring that the fund associated with the Super League showed interest in our 'lever' financial operation.'

'My objective was to rescue Barcelona, and the Superleague was projected to generate €200 million. When it became clear that this €200 million would not materialize, we decided to withdraw.' Barcelona officially announced its departure from the Superleague earlier this season. More recently, it was reported that Real Madrid had reached an agreement in principle to terminate the competition entirely.

Barcelona’s sponsorship deal with DR Congo

Regarding Barcelona’s sponsorship deal with the DR Congo, the club has faced criticism for signing a €11 million per season agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo's tourism board, especially given widespread reports of human rights abuses in the country. When questioned about this partnership, Laporta explained, 'The Congo project aligns with a peace treaty between Congo and Rwanda. We are receiving €44 million, which is an excellent agreement. Our initial focus is on compliance. Furthermore, through the Foundation, we are striving to create secure environments to assist young people and prevent them from being forced into mining.'