Real Madrid President Unleashes Explosive Attack on Barcelona and La Liga in Scathing Tirade

Real Madrid's president Florentino Pérez has reignited discussion around the Negreira affair, claiming Barcelona and La Liga engaged in referee manipulation that led to the Catalan club's "most successful sporting period."

Barcelona has faced official scrutiny for the past two years over allegations of bribing José María Enríquez Negreira, the former vice president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) referee committee.

The Catalan club is alleged to have transferred €8.4 million (£7.3 million, $9.7 million) between 2001-18 to Negreira's business. Barcelona maintained these payments were for referee consultation and analysis services, rejecting any misconduct claims.

The so-called "Negreira affair" has repeatedly surfaced in Real Madrid's ongoing disputes with La Liga officiating. The Madrid club has consistently alleged Spanish referees are compromised, making calls that favor Barcelona over Real Madrid.

While hostilities had cooled following last season's heated confrontation between Real Madrid and Spanish officials, Pérez reignited the controversy during the recent Assembly of Representative Members.

Pérez: Barcelona's Referee Payments Are 'Abnormal' Regardless of 'Purpose'

The Real Madrid chief spoke candidly to the assembly: "It's abnormal that Barcelona compensated the vice president of referees over €8 million across at least 17 years, regardless of the purpose.

"I emphasize: Regardless of the purpose, it's abnormal."

Pérez continued his accusations against Barcelona and La Liga regarding corruption, noting that this 17-year span represented Barcelona's "most successful sporting era" in Spain; the Catalans secured nine La Liga championships, six Copa del Rey trophies and eight Spanish Super Cup victories.

"Real Madrid stands as the sole club participating in the proceedings. Four [Barcelona] presidents sustained substantial payments over 17 years to the vice president of referees," Pérez elaborated.

"Fran Soto has urged us to move forward and dismiss the 'Negreira affair,'" he referenced the current Technical Committee of Referees (TCA) president. "Who will dismiss it? The truth is that they [the implicated referees] remain in position. This creates circumstances that compromise their ability to officiate impartially."

Pérez also highlighted that FIFA excluded all Spanish referees from last summer's Club World Cup in the United States, reinforcing his concerns about Spanish officiating standards.

The TCA and RFEF have not yet addressed Pérez's latest round of accusations.