The president of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, today launched a scathing attack on the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, following his recent comments on the 'Negreira' case. In this case, the Catalan club is accused of paying bribes to the former vice-president of the Spanish Referees' Committee. Pérez had previously stated that Barcelona's involvement in this case casts doubt on the legitimacy of the titles the team has won in recent years, especially since the period of payments coincides with the club's 'golden era'. Laporta, in an interview reported by the Catalan newspaper 'Sport', said: 'In Madrid, they have an obsession with the best period in Barcelona's history. They didn't like the fact that Barcelona was a world reference between 2004 and 2015, when we were dominant.' He added: 'They are looking for justifications that lead to nothing. We were the team that played the best football, won many titles, and our style of play was admired by the world, so don't look for excuses for losers.' Laporta confirmed: 'If they in Madrid are talking about Barcelona at their general meeting, that's a good thing, it means they are obsessed with Barcelona. Perhaps they do it to avoid talking about other things, but we will not allow anyone to attack our club in this way.' He explained: 'They are present at every moment of the judicial process in the Negreira case, and they are exaggerating the matter because they know there is nothing there, but it is a way to justify something incorrect.'
