Real Madrid responded strongly to Barcelona president Joan Laporta’s ‘ Club of the regime’ comments by sharing an extraordinary video on their social media.
In March, reports surfaced that Madrid was considering joining the complaint against Barcelona in the ongoing ‘Negreira Case.’
The refereeing scandal in question involves former official Enriquez Negreira, who has denied showing any bias towards Barcelona about refereeing decisions.
Last Monday, Laporta referred to Real Madrid as a ‘club of the regime,’ alluding to the club’s association with the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, who governed Spain from 1933 until 1975.
He said: “They (Real) claim to feel aggravated in sporting terms by this. This comes from a club, as we all know, that has been favored from refereeing back in history and still nowadays. A club that was regarded as ‘the club of the regime’ back in the day.
“Why was that? Because of how close they were to the political, economical, and sportive power… it might have to be remembered that during seven decades, the majority of presidents and officials from the refereeing committee were former Real Madrid partners, former Real Madrid footballers, or former Real Madrid executives. During 70 years, the people in charge to make decisions in that regard were from Real Madrid.”
Later in the evening, Madrid hit back with a sensational four-minute video outlining Barcelona’s links with the Franco regime.
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) April 17, 2023
The video posted by Real Madrid on social media revealed that Barcelona awarded three medals to Franco and made him an honorary club member in 1965.
It also pointed out that Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium was inaugurated by Jose Solis Ruiz, who served as Franco’s general minister.
The video further highlighted that Barcelona won eight La Liga titles and nine Copas del Generalisimo during Franco’s reign, while Madrid took 15 years to win a single league title.
On the ‘Negreira Case,’ Laporta has reiterated that Barcelona has not committed any wrongdoing. Despite their off-field troubles, Xavi’s team is still performing well on the pitch, currently leading the La Liga table with a massive 11-point lead over Madrid.