Joan Laporta has hit back after being charged with bribery in the scandal relating to alleged referee payments.
According to reports, the Barcelona president has been charged with bribery for alleged payments meted out to former refereeing vice-president Enriquez Negreira.
In the Negreira case, the previous timeline originally covered the period between 2013 and 2023.
However, there has been a significant development in the case, as Judge Joaquin Aguirre has modified the statute of limitations, extending it to 10 years from the date of the last alleged crime, which occurred in 2018.
This legal change effectively expands the scope of the investigation to include events dating back to 2008.
Also, as a result of these legal adjustments, Barcelona’s president has now been charged.
But Laporta believes that “sociological madridismo” is the reason behind the latest saga to be taking place at the Camp Nou.
“Sociological Madridismo”
“There is a sociological Madridismo in the centres of power,” he told the programme ‘Els Matins de Catalunya Radio’.
“There is a lot of force. I have competed against this sociological Madridismo and I have won.
“They are afraid that what happened in my first term will happen again.
“We won a lot and that hurt them a lot. They suffered a lot.
“Now it is repeated because we are getting better and better at all levels, sporting, economic and institutional.
“It has taken advantage of the Negreira case to sully the name of Barça and we cannot allow this.
“Also, it exists and is protected in certain media, certain political circles and in certain sections of sport.
“However, we have to accept it as normal.
“Everyone can be the team they want, but we as Barça supporters must know that and compete as we have already done and won.”
However, Laporta once again insisted he has done nothing wrong.
Crime
There are claims that he had already been warned of his indictment by his lawyers regarding the case.
“Knowing the history of this judge (Joaquín Aguirre), we were warned by our defence team that we could end up like this (being investigated).
“But as there is no crime of bribery and there is no continuing crime, this cannot prosper.
“Moreover, it has already been appealed by most of the parties,” said the Barca president.
However, the Barcelona president also claimed that despite the tensions off the pitch with Real Madrid, his relationship with Florentino Perez remains cordial and welcomed him to attend El Clasico on October 28 which will be held in Catalonia.
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“My relationship with Florentino (Pérez) is correct.
“I don’t know if he will come (for the clásico).
“He didn’t come to the last one.
“I would like him to come because the clásico is the best spectacle in the world and that both teams are represented makes the game,” he explained.
