Former FC Barcelona president Joan Gaspart has launched a strong attack on Real Madrid and Florentino Perez, accusing the club of “doing a lot of damage to football” amid the ongoing Negreira case.
Gaspart made the comments after appearing in court in Barcelona, where he testified as a witness in the investigation into payments made by Barcelona to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of Spain’s referees’ committee.
Gaspart: “Real Madrid Are Damaging Football”
Speaking after his testimony, Gaspart firmly denied any wrongdoing by Barcelona and took aim at Real Madrid for their role in the case.
“I think they are unwittingly doing a lot of damage to football. Not just to Barça, but to football itself,” Gaspart said, as quoted by MARCA.
Real Madrid have positioned themselves as private prosecutors in the Negreira case, a move that has significantly escalated tensions between Spain’s two biggest clubs.
Real Madrid’s Role in the Negreira Investigation
During the investigation, Real Madrid’s legal representatives questioned current Barcelona president Joan Laporta during his court appearance earlier this year.
Los Blancos also requested financial documents and audit reports related to Barcelona’s accounts from the relevant period. However, the judge rejected that request, limiting the scope of the inquiry.
Despite the setback, Florentino Perez and Real Madrid remain firm in their stance and are prepared to pursue the case to its conclusion.
“Barcelona Never Bribed Referees” – Gaspart
Gaspart was emphatic in his defense of Barcelona, repeatedly dismissing claims that the club attempted to influence referees.
“It’s a lie. I’ve repeated the word ‘lie’ 33 times,” he said.
“Barcelona has never, neither during my time as vice president nor as president, bribed referees.”
He also defended Joan Laporta, Josep Maria Bartomeu, and Sandro Rosell, insisting that no Barcelona executive was involved in referee bribery at any point.
“The accusation that Barça committed any illegal act is false,” Gaspart added.
“Paying someone to tell the referee to favour Barcelona is a lie. And when it’s a lie, it’s a lie.”
