Madrid announces that they are involved in the 'Negreira case' and Laporta responds: "Now they are all here"

Real Madrid agreed on Saturday at noon to appear in the

, as EL PAÍS had advanced.

After the emergency meeting called in the morning, the Chamartín entity issued a statement in which it approved appearing as an affected party in the case and expressed its "deep concern about the seriousness of the facts."

Madrid, which was the only club that did not join the joint statement weeks ago and denounced the rest of the LaLiga teams, broke, in this way, with the cordiality of the relations that linked it more closely than usual with the Barcelona since the return of Joan Laporta to the presidency.

Accused as the club is now - by the Prosecutor's Office - of corruption in the sports field, cordiality has vanished at times.

Following the statement from the white club, the president of Barcelona, ​​Joan Laporta, stated this Sunday on his Twitter account: "Now everyone is here."

The

It therefore presents a new scenario in the relationship between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Allies in the commitment to the Super League, the entry into the courts of the Barça club cracks the relationship between the two giants of Spanish football.

After the Prosecutor's Office concluded on Friday that Barcelona had paid, between 2001 and 2018, close to seven million euros to José María Enríquez Negreira, then vice president of the Arbitration Technical Committee (CTA), to "favor" him in arbitrations , Madrid called an emergency meeting for the following day.

"The club reiterates its full confidence in the action of justice and has agreed that, in defense of its legitimate interests, it will appear in the procedure as soon as the judge opens it to the injured parties," Madrid insisted in the statement issued on Saturday.

The accusation of the Prosecutor's Office for the

affects two former presidents of Barcelona, ​​Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, who are accused of the crimes of unfair administration and document falsification.

The news, however, also splashes Laporta, the president who in his previous term made payments to Negreira grow;

and to other ex-presidents such as Joan Gaspart, so that he casts doubt on the management of the Barça club for almost 20 years.

In his only statement, before the Tax Agency, Negreira stated that he was hired because Barça wanted to ensure "neutral" arbitrations, which would not harm him.

Culers, be calm.

Barça is innocent of what they are accused of and the victim of a campaign against their honor in which everyone is now involved.

No surprise, we will defend Barça and demonstrate the Club's innocence.

Many will have to rectify.

#totsUnitsFemForça

— Joan Laporta Estruch🎗 (@JoanLaportaFCB) March 12, 2023

The current management of Barcelona has opted for silence for weeks.

Nothing new in the communication strategy of the Catalan entity.

However, President Joan Laporta did speak on his Twitter account this Sunday after learning of Madrid's statement: “Culés, be calm.

Barça is innocent of what they are accused of and the victim of a campaign against their honor in which everyone is now involved.

"No surprise, we will defend Barça and demonstrate the club's innocence.

Many will have to rectify.

# totsUnitsFemForça (we all work together) ”, added the top Barça manager in his message, broadcast on social networks.

Barcelona thus continues with the same communication policy: administrative silence.

While the club's explanations are delayed and awaiting the report resulting from the external investigation commissioned by the entity, Laporta takes refuge in looking for culprits far from Barcelona: first it was Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, and now also Madrid.

Until now, the white entity had opted for prudence regarding the

.

An attitude that at Barça they took for granted.

However, this past week in the Camp Nou offices the concern was palpable.

They feared that Madrid would raise its voice.

All the First and Second clubs had expressed their "rejection" of the case shortly after the payments to the former vice president of the referees were known.

All except Madrid.

“The club wanted to agree on the statement, something almost impossible to do with 42 clubs.

Javier Tebas offered that Madrid would write it up and the clubs would validate it, since it is obvious that we all repudiate what Barça has done, but after consulting the Madrid representative with his superiors, he said that they could not do it, "said the president of one of the teams present at the LaLiga meeting on February 21.

In the end, Madrid did not appear as a signatory to that rejection statement, but it has now shown that it does not go hand in hand with Barcelona in this matter either.

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