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The conversation then turned to the Negreira case, the investigation into payments made by Barcelona to a former refereeing official that has dominated headlines in Spain. Laporta was quick to dismiss any suggestion that the allegations would permanently damage the club’s reputation, instead pointing the finger at external forces in the Spanish capital for fueling the fire.
“No, that’s more of an institutional smear campaign that, fortunately, hasn’t been successful. There are interests at play coming from Madrid,” the president claimed.
He further alleged a historical bias in Spanish football, stating: “I’ve always felt that we have to be far superior, because the referees don’t favour us. Here, it seems they always help Madrid. They’ve got ‘Barcelonitis’ – it’s obvious.”




















