Joan Laporta breaks silence as Barcelona face corruption charges over ref payments scandal
Real Madrid have made a momentous decision to join the legal tussle against their bitter rivals Barcelona in the Jose María Enríquez Negreira case. They revealed as much in their official announcement regarding the case, which has led to Barca president Joan Laporta breaking his silence on social media.
According to SPORT (via Barca Universal), the Madridistas will appear in court as an 'affected party,'. This will see them gain full access to the case summary and leave them with the potential to demand hefty financial compensation or sporting penalties.
🚨🚨| Joan Laporta: “FC Barcelona fans, Calm Down! We are innocent.” https://t.co/KezpdG2Ptj
The publication also claims that the Galacticos have also secured the right to question their Catalan adversaries during the hearing. This late intervention has shaken things up in the case, and tensions between the two Spanish powerhouses have hit fever pitch.
In an attempt to quell the panic amongst the Blaugrana supporters, their president, Joan Laporta, took to Twitter to issue a statement concerning the situation:
“Culers, be calm. Barca are innocent of what it is accused of, and the victim of a campaign against its honour, in which everyone is now involved. We are not surprised, though, we will defend Barca and prove our innocence. Many will have to rectify.”
Culers, you can be calm. Barça is innocent of the accusations made against it and is the victim of a campaign, that now involves everyone, to harm its honorability. It is no surprise, and we will defend Barça and prove that the Club is innocent. Many will be forced to rectify.
It's undoubtedly going to be a long and bumpy ride, but President Laporta's assurances will offer some solace to the Barcelona faithful in these trying times.
La Liga president Javier Tebas calls for Barcelona president Joan Laporta's resignation
In a scathing rebuke of Barcelona's financial scandal, La Liga president Javier Tebas has called for Laporta's resignation if he cannot account for the team's misdeeds.
Allegations have surfaced that the Catalan giants forked out over a staggering €1.5 million to a firm owned by a former vice president of Spanish referees between 2016 and 2018.
At an event on Monday, Tebas insisted that Laporta should step down immediately unless he can shed light on the club's 33 transactions with Jose María Enríquez Negreira (via GOAL):
"If [Laporta] doesn't explain why it was paid, I think [he would have to resign]. For now I would say that Juventus is more serious for being sentenced, but I see the indications as more serious in Barca. A vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees appears here."
While the Negreira case will likely drag on for the foreseeable future, Barcelona will hope they can continue to exceed expectations on the pitch. They currently lead the standings in Spain's premier division and could potentially win the La Liga title in the coming months.