‘Must respect your opponents, not make excuses’ – Former Barcelona manager criticises Real Madrid | OneFootball

The tension surrounding the Negreira case continues to dominate Spanish football, and now Ronald Koeman has become the latest figure to publicly challenge Real Madrid’s position on the controversy.

The former Barcelona manager, currently leading the Netherlands national football team, responded after recent comments made by Florentino Perez during his explosive press conference discussing refereeing controversies and the unresolved Negreira investigation.

Perez’s shots at Barcelona

During that appearance, the Real Madrid president strongly criticised both Barcelona and Spanish football authorities while demanding further clarity regarding the case.

“I didn’t come here so that the referees could enrich themselves with Barcelona ‘s money.”

“Three years ago we learned about the Negreira Case. The biggest scandal in history. They’ve been paying for two decades, but now it’s the same referees for this third decade.”

Koeman has criticised Real Madrid president Florentino Perez. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Those comments immediately intensified the already toxic atmosphere between Spain’s two biggest clubs and triggered another wave of reactions across football.

What did Koeman say?

Now Koeman has entered the debate and his response leaves little doubt about where he stands.

While discussing Real Madrid’s difficult season, Koeman acknowledged the pressure that naturally exists at a club of that size. 

However, he also suggested that many of the current reactions coming from Real Madrid are linked to disappointment over failing to compete at the expected level.

Perez took aim at Barcelona. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

“Real Madrid are a huge club, where winning trophies is a must, and this has been a very poor season for them. Things have happened that normally shouldn’t happen.”

Koeman then addressed the references to the Negreira case and made it clear he believes Barcelona’s recent domestic success has been deserved on sporting merit.

“You can’t criticise Barcelona for winning the last two titles; they’ve played better than the rest and have been superior. 

“If you lose, you have to respect the opposition and not look for excuses. It’s not a question of referees or other things,” he concluded, as per AS.