Joan Laporta accuses Real Madrid of undermining Barcelona and losing credibility

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has accused Real Madrid of trying to diminish his club’s achievements and damage its reputation, saying the Spanish giants are “losing credibility” at domestic and international level.

Laporta was speaking in Sitges on Saturday, where he visited to unveil a plaque bearing his name on the Johan Cruyff walkway. Asked about Barcelona’s impressive form, he said: “In Madrid, they talk about other things to divert attention. Barcelona are enjoying a wonderful period. We are enjoying our football and going through a beautiful stage in our history, with international recognition for what we are doing.”

He added: “We have nine players in the squad who have won the World Cup, and we have a team that makes supporters fall in love with it. It includes players who are benchmarks in football in different positions. In Madrid, they are trying to play all of that down.”

Negreira case

Laporta also addressed the Negreira case, in which Barcelona face allegations relating to payments made to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the Spanish refereeing committee.

“I will not stop repeating this: they tried to convict us before we had been tried, while it is becoming clear that there was nothing behind what we were accused of,” he said. “I have complete confidence that Barcelona will be cleared.”

He continued: “Those who constantly talk about the case are trying to harm and distort Barcelona’s image, and they will have to correct that. There will be a time to discuss it when the judgement is issued.

“They are prolonging the investigation as much as possible to keep the case alive, but it leads nowhere. The only objective is to damage Barcelona’s reputation.”

Laporta then widened his criticism of Real Madrid, saying: “They are doing this to damage football because they oppose everything. They go to UEFA, they go to the European basketball league, and they oppose everyone and everything.”

He said this showed “a great deal about a club that is losing its standing, the recognition of others and its credibility both domestically and internationally”.

“I attended the European Club Association conference and they had no representation,” Laporta added.

“They have a very arrogant attitude. They will know what they are doing, but it is causing them to lose a great deal of credibility. As happens in the European basketball league, they end up in disputes with everyone while placing obstacles in the way of what others are trying to achieve. They need to look at themselves, because this behaviour is not appropriate.”

Raphinha and Lamine Yamal

Laporta said Raphinha’s injury would rule him out of matches against Getafe and Galatasaray, but that he could return against Paris Saint-Germain.

“He felt some discomfort and came back here to recover,” he said. “The doctors told me he would be ready for the Paris match.”

Laporta also praised sporting director Deco and manager Hansi Flick for building a squad with “two or three players in every position”, supported by Barcelona’s reserve-team players, which allowed the club to target every trophy.

On Lamine Yamal’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or, Laporta said: “It would be fair for him to win it. He had a wonderful season, winning the league and the World Cup. He deserves it, he feels that way, and I think it is good for him to express his opinion.”

He added that he would be “extremely happy” if Yamal won, but said the result remained confidential. Laporta is awaiting 26 October after “a month full of events” and said the 19-year-old was eager to show his talent and would “make history in the world of football”.