Barcelona president Laporta says relations with Real Madrid are ‘completely broken’ | OneFootball

Real Madrid will be aiming for their first trophy under the leadership of Xabi Alonso as they take on Barcelona in the final of the Spanish Super Cup.

Veteran Dani Carvajal has already highlighted the importance of sealing a win tomorrow, in what could be a make-or-break game for coach Alonso.

Heading into the game, the president of Barcelona, Joan Laporta, was present at the welcome cocktail party, whereas the Real Madrid delegation was represented by club legend Emilio Butragueno.

What Joan Laporta said before the final

Speaking ahead of the final, Laporta did not shy away from charming RFEF for successfully hosting the tournament in Saudi Arabia, a project which he believes has been a huge success.

“Since it has been played here in Saudi Arabia, and since it adopted this ‘final-four’ format, it has gained in prestige and international recognition,” he said (h/t Mundo Deportivo).

“For that very reason, I want to thank and congratulate the Royal Spanish Federation and its president, Rafael Louzán, for the excellent organisation and for this championship, the Spanish Super Cup,” he added.

Laporta praised RFEF ahead of the Spanish Super Cup final vs Real Madrid. (Photo by LLUIS GENE/AFP via Getty Images)

Laporta went on to talk about Barcelona’s relationship with Real Madrid, which he claims has soured in the recent past.

“Relations with Real Madrid are very bad and are currently broken. They can always be repaired, but right now they are like this,” he said.

The widening tension between Real Madrid and Barcelona come in the wake of Barça moving away from the Super League project and siding with the big organisers such as UEFA, RFEF and La Liga in recent months.

This entire strategic shift led to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez openly attacking Barcelona for their alleged involvement in the Negreira case at the end of last year. Since then, the tensions have only widened.

As such, Laporta claimed that Real Madrid are trying to replicate the success Barcelona had last season and for that, they need to win the Super Cup.

“Real Madrid want to relive what we experienced last year in terms of the season that was historic for us, and for that they have to start by winning the Spanish Super Cup,” he concluded.