‘They use Barcelona to cover up their failures‘ — Laporta says Real Madrid are deflecting attention from lack of trophies | OneFootball

The 2025-26 season was another successful campaign for FC Barcelona, as they defended their Spanish Super Cup and La Liga titles. However, the UEFA Champions League still remains elusive for them.

Meanwhile, their rivals Real Madrid endured another difficult season, finishing once again without any trophies and making it two consecutive years without silverware. The situation has increased scrutiny around the club’s sporting direction and overall management.

In this context, tensions between the two clubs have continued to grow after recent remarks from Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, who once again referred to the Negreira case in his recent press conference.

His comments did not go unanswered, with Barcelona president-elect Joan Laporta responding strongly while attending the Koeman Cup, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.

Laporta defended the Catalan club and rejected the accusations, while also suggesting that the criticism is being used to shift attention away from Real Madrid’s recent lack of success:

“Everything related to the Negreira case — which is no case at all — is falsehoods, and I think they are doing it to create a smokescreen and divert attention from the fact that they have gone two years without winning anything. They use Barça to cover up their failures. The club is still studying those statements so they can be answered in the appropriate forum.”

He also pointed to Barcelona’s recent achievements in contrast to their rivals and was firm in his response to the ongoing narrative coming from Madrid:

“They have invested a lot and still haven’t won anything, while we keep winning. We have won two league titles in a row, two Spanish Super Cups, and a Copa del Rey… He has turned on the fan of misery, and we are not going to allow it… When they use Barça for their own problems, we react — and we react forcefully.”

At the same time, Laporta used the opportunity to highlight the positive direction of the current Barcelona project under Hansi Flick, stressing the stability and the growing confidence within the squad:

On the sporting planning side, the president-elect also made it clear that Barcelona will continue to operate carefully in the transfer market despite improving financial conditions, with full trust placed in sporting director Deco:

“Being within the 1:1 rule is positive, but that doesn’t mean we are going to do anything crazy or throw the house out the window… We will bring in whoever Deco says. He has shown that he does things well, and we have to let him work.”

He further insisted that the club’s approach to recruitment will remain focused on sporting needs rather than market pressure or marquee signings:

Laporta was also asked about possible big-name targets such as Julian Alvarez, but he avoided ruling anything out completely while maintaining Barcelona’s position on control and conditions in negotiations:

Beyond the men’s team, Laporta also spoke positively about the Barcelona women’s team ahead of their UEFA Women’s Champions League final, praising their mentality and the work being done across the club:

“They look very motivated. We have a great team and a winning mentality. They always go forward; our players and our coaches do things very well. There is a lot of excitement for this final.”

He also pointed to the growing reputation of Barcelona’s sporting project across Europe, mentioning interest from major clubs in their talent:

For now, Barcelona continue to move forward with stability on the pitch and controlled planning off it, while Laporta’s message once again reflects a club confident in its project and ready to respond firmly to criticism from its biggest rival.