Joan Laporta (foto: Getty Images)
Barcelona president Joan Laporta admitted relations with Real Madrid have seriously deteriorated, adding extra tension ahead of tonight’s Spanish Super Cup final, El Clásico in Saudi Arabia.
El Clásico is never just a football match — and this time, the tension has spilt far beyond the pitch.
On the eve of the Spanish Super Cup final, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has publicly admitted that relations with Real Madrid and their president Florentino Perez are at their worst in years.
“Relations with Real Madrid have been broken. They are bad. Certain things have happened that have distanced us. If we were previously ardent and eternal rivals, the situation has now developed in a direction that has greatly strained relations. Despite this, we still respect Real Madrid,” Laporta said.
Until recently, the two clubs were surprisingly aligned on several major issues concerning the future of football, including structural reforms and the direction of the sport. That period of cooperation now feels like ancient history.
The main reason for the growing hostility lies in the Negreira refereeing scandal, which continues to hang over Barcelona and has still not reached a legal or sporting conclusion.
Real Madrid have taken a firm and public stance, constantly pushing the issue and keeping it in the spotlight, while Barcelona feel they are being targeted and politically isolated.
Laporta has, in recent months, increasingly used Real Madrid as a rhetorical opponent in his public appearances, often scoring easy points with Barcelona fans by attacking their biggest rival.
From Madrid’s perspective, the club believes it is defending the integrity of Spanish football. From Barcelona’s side, the feeling is that the pressure campaign has crossed a line.
All of this means that tonight’s El Clasico final will be played in a toxic and emotionally charged atmosphere — even by the standards of this historic rivalry.
The two giants will meet in the Spanish Super Cup final, once again staged in Saudi Arabia, around 7,000 kilometres from Spain.
Derbies for trophies are always special. This one comes with political tension, institutional conflict and wounded pride added to the usual sporting drama.
Will the war of words continue after the final whistle? That may depend largely on who lifts the trophy.
One thing is certain: this El Clasico is being played in an atmosphere of open hostility — not just between players, but between the two institutions themselves.