While there have been bigger, starrier, more knife-edge encounters between Barcelona and Real Madrid, none have been more strangely pitched or more obviously fraught with angst, mudslinging and paranoia than Sunday night’s clásico.
Defeat would cut Barcelona’s lead at the top to six points with 12 matches to go, which is still a lot of points. It will either decide the title race or inject a little late-breaking life. As of this weekend, the gap from Barcelona to Atlético Madrid in third place was 17. It seems almost as though we’re back in the heyday of the global duopoly, when this fixture was the biggest football event of all time when Messi-Ronaldo was blossoming.
This isn’t the typical occasion.
As a result of the European Super League fiasco, it seemed that old grievances had put aside to pursue mutual interests, with reports showing Joan Laporta and Florentino Pérez often meeting for dinner. However, news from Barcelona indicates that Laporta may be cancelling the customary pre-clásico lunch. It appears that La Liga’s two driving forces are quite clear about wanting to take chunks out of each other instead.
The spark is obviously charges brought against Barcelona month in relation to payments made to Negreira time as a senior La Liga referee. As of now, Real Madrid is officially part of the case, allowing it to provide evidence and support the case.
In the span of 2001 to 2018
Barcelona won ten league titles, four Champions Leagues, and three Club World Cups, establishing the Barça brand as a definitive modern sporting juggernaut. This scandal has already reached jaw-dropping proportions.
The entire underpinning of Messi’s astonishing individual career was established course time period. Resulting in enormous sums of money changing hands. In 2018 Barcelona surpassed a milestone. They became the first sports team to earn more than one billion dollars per year. Interestingly, Barcelona were concurrently paying a top tier Spanish referee an annual salary of around 7 million euros. About what Manchester United have forked out for Howard Webb if had on their books during the Ferguson era. The situation is undoubtedly unusual but could perhaps be seen as ordinary.
So the public fury, the online howls. The hostile compilations of alleged refereeing oddities in favor of Barcelona under the supervision of the named parties. Were countered by outrage over Real Madrid’s own influence levels of power Spanish soccer.
Reflecting on the clips and cuts of those slickly edited videos
It is easy to see why they have become iconic. From Cristiano Ronaldo’s athletic leaps to Lionel Messi’s boyish bewilderment, the era in which these matches played was surely the most exciting time for global club football. The profundity time is in beautiful, glossy shots. A rivalry between Catalonia and Royal Spain, epitomised by the Pep and José duo that sparked a commercial boom in the sport around the world. Tearing down those statues and tossing them into the harbour would surely be an affront to this remarkable period in football history.
Barcelona’s directors
It reported that Barcelona’s directors argue Negreira was paid only to redress what saw as bias towards other clubs, a backdoor vigilante refereeing justice. Negreira also allegedly threatened to go public if the payments stopped, which, if true, seems to come pretty close to admitting wrongdoing (what would be wrong with going public anyway?).
A line from Barcelona seems to indicate that the payments were for “scouting reports”, implying that everyone else is doing the same. In his defence. Laporta insists Negreira was a refereeing adviser, preparing reports and advising players on refereeing issues – something Laporta describes as “very normal.” In addition, former Barça coaches Luis Enrique Ernesto Valverde may also be called in to testify.
This would serve which interests exactly. Source of power and wealth – served if Barcelona stripped, banished. Or financially pummeled?
In order rebuild stadium, a loan of €1.5 billion is . A club jacked up precariously on own economic levers. Captive to vast debt secured via their own good name, with the certainty that this thing will always generate excess revenue. Ultimately, what is at stake here is the purity of the name, the basic source of energy.
Can Barça retain its highly profitable sense of exceptionalism when the grim and granular details emerge?
As a rapacious moralising two-face, Barcelona marketed the Més que un club shtick by wearing Qatar Airways and Unicef on the same shirt. Always presenting itself as the underdog; the Ewoks, not the Death Star. This version of the past makes everything seem strange.
Generally, La Liga has struggled to match the Premier League’s combination of vast. TV rights income and nation-state clubs that provide economic guarantees. The jealous zeal with which the president of La Liga, Javier Tebas, speaks of Kylian Mbappé. Who suddenly seems so vital to the vibes, the energy, and the aura of La Liga. Both touching and just a little creepy.
A league that has relied on stars for 15 years finds its president suddenly acting like a Pandarus. Purring about Madrid’s enduring commercial power. Aware that he would bring a vital boost to interest. TV values to a league that is currently wallowing in its own hate and fear.
For now, Barcelona will be narrow favourites on Sunday night. The referee story coincides with three consecutive wins and a sense of galvanizing fury. Only Bayern Munich have won at the Camp Nou. There is no doubt it will be tight, angsty and a little spiteful. Pedro is Barça and Karim Benzema is Madrid.
At least some things remain the same Real Madrid.
