FC Barcelona's infamous Negreira case is still under scrutiny. The Catalan giants face allegations that range from paying referees to favor the club during match decisions to totally buying out the referee association to gain the glory they have achieved so far.
The judges are the ones to decide whether The Bluagranes are guilty or not, but one of the latest La Liga fixtures has stirred up another controversy because of the refereeing. The La Liga fixture between Real Madrid and Almeria has made it into the books for all the wrong reasons.
It is clear after watching the match as to 'who pays the referees?'. This VAR controversy has put the Spanish top division's credibility on the line. Amidst the chaos, Barça coach Xavi and President Joan Laporta have expressed their concerns regarding the league's eminence.
Xavi's and Laporta's Concerns
After a reporter asked Xavi regarding the Los Blancos match, this is what he had to say.
"I've seen it. If we speak, they sanction us... but everyone has seen it. I already said in Getafe that there were things that didn't fit me, that it was going to be very difficult to win this League. There are things that we don't control. It's been seen by everyone."via Marca
The ex-Barcelona midfielder had very little to say compared to Laporta. This is also because he's been criticizing the refereeing for a long time and has made his stance clear regarding the situation.
Joan Laporta, on the other hand, condemned the situation and asked the Federation to take actions. The president assured that this wasn't the first time something like this had occurred, but there have already been a series of events that only swayed one club.
"The competition cannot be adulterated any more with decisions like those last Sunday at the Bernabéu . Because it is not just this Sunday. We have been analyzing the issue and there are already a series of points that our rival has achieved benefiting from referee decisions. Now, I also have to say that we are used to this, right? We have always fought against the elements, we know what they are."via Mundo Deportivo
The most surprising decision of them all, according to Laporta, was the disallowed goal against Almeria.
"I see that Bellingham grabs the opposing player's shirt. There is a detail that for those of us who have played football I think this is illustrative: when Bellingham is on the ground he looks at the referee, as if to say "let's see if I did it." cheated or I have not cheated him. And then the play continues and it is a legal goal for me."via Mundo Deportivo
The Barça president has claimed to have spoken with Pedro Rocha, the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation. He also claimed that Pedro has assured him that the RFEF will take action.
"He told me that he plans to take action on the matter. He also told me that the referees do not feel pressured, he wanted to reassure me in this sense. We are seeing situations that are worrying us a lot and that if this continues, it will be very difficult that we achieve the objectives."via Mundo Deportivo