Former ref Iturralde tears into Laporta: 'Apologise for Negreira payments before moaning about refs'
Ex-La Liga referee Eduardo Iturralde González has launched a scathing attack on Barcelona president Joan Laporta following his recent complaints about officiating.
Former top-flight referee Eduardo Iturralde González has absolutely rinsed Barcelona president Joan Laporta, telling him to apologise for the Negreira scandal before daring to criticise current officiating standards.
Laporta’s complaints
The Barcelona president recently questioned the lengthy stoppage time in Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano, suggesting officials are favouring their rivals:
- Questioned where “9 or 10 minutes of added time came from”
- Claimed players are increasingly diving without punishment
- Suggested Real Madrid’s TV channel influences referees by constantly claiming they’re being harmed by officials
Iturralde’s brutal response
Iturralde, who officiated in La Liga from 1995 to 2012, wasn’t having any of it. Speaking on radio programme ‘El Larguero’, the 58-year-old former referee went proper two-footed on Laporta:
“The penalty for Madrid against Rayo isn’t even debatable… I’d advise Laporta that before claiming certain clubs are being favoured, he should remember he’s among those who paid the vice-president of the Referees’ Technical Committee.”
The Negreira scandal context
Iturralde’s comments directly reference the ongoing ‘Caso Negreira’ investigation, where Barcelona allegedly paid around €7 million between 2001-2018 to José María Enríquez Negreira, who was vice-president of Spain’s refereeing committee.
The ex-ref didn’t mince his words about the damage this has caused:
- Called Negreira a “shameless character”
- Blamed Laporta and previous Barça presidents for damaging Spanish refereeing’s reputation
- Demanded Laporta apologise to Spanish football and referees specifically
The bigger picture
This beef highlights the continuing fallout from the Negreira case, which has cast a shadow over Barcelona despite their denials of any wrongdoing. With Real Madrid officially joining the legal case as an injured party, tensions between Spain’s biggest clubs continue to boil over in public.
Laporta’s complaints about officiating favouring Madrid now appear to be backfiring, with critics quick to point to Barcelona’s own controversial history with refereeing officials.