Laporta hits back at Real Madrid: 'For once they didn't get a penalty for a dive'
Barcelona president Joan Laporta takes aim at Real Madrid's refereeing complaints after their Osasuna defeat, while rallying support ahead of re-election vote.
Joan Laporta was out in front of the Spotify Camp Nou ahead of Barça’s match against Levante — glad-handing supporters and collecting signatures for his re-election campaign. But it was his comments about Real Madrid that really caught the eye.
Laporta turns the knife on Madrid
After Madrid dropped points at Osasuna, Laporta wasn’t exactly rushing to offer sympathy. With the title race suddenly very much alive, the Barça president had a pointed message for anyone in the Madrid camp feeling hard done by the officials:
“For once they didn’t get a penalty for a dive from one of them — they shouldn’t complain.”
He reckons the penalty awarded against Osasuna’s Budimir was the real deal — a clear VAR call — and that the goal Madrid had chalked off was perfectly fine too. In Laporta’s eyes, Madrid have been on the right side of those decisions so many times that they’ve got no right to moan when the boot’s on the other foot.
Eyes on the prize
With Madrid slipping up in Pamplona, Laporta was well aware of what was at stake against Levante:
- A Barça win would put them top of La Liga
- Flick had a full week to prepare, with no midweek fixture to worry about
- Laporta was keen to stress that no game is a gimme — even against a side second from bottom
He pointed out that Osasuna are getting better all the time, and that he’d actually expected Madrid to struggle up there. The message to his own squad? Don’t go thinking Levante is an easy afternoon out.
Re-election campaign ticking along
Before all the Madrid chat, Laporta was doing his bit on the campaign trail. The signature-collection tents around the stadium seem to be doing decent business — he reckons the response from the socios has been well positive, with plenty more promising their votes on election day, 15th March.
His pitch is pretty straightforward: finish what we started. The ‘Defendemos al Barça’ (‘We Defend Barça’) ticket is built around continuity — the argument being that with all the experience and knowledge already in place, why change the management now?
Flick and the dressing room
Laporta also made a point of talking up his relationship with both Deco and Hansi Flick, saying he stays close to the dressing room and tries to keep spirits up during the tough patches. He’s clearly keen to present himself as a hands-on president who’s got the squad’s back — not just a bloke in a suit turning up for the big occasions.
With the title race heating up and election season in full swing at the Camp Nou, Laporta is very much in the thick of it — and he’s clearly not shy about having a pop at the lot from down the road while he’s at it.