BARCELONA VS REAL MADRID: VICTOR FONT BACKS JOAN LAPORTA AND DEMANDS END TO FLORENTINO PEREZ TIES
Victor Font backs Joan Laporta against Florentino Perez but slams the Barcelona president for prioritising the Super League over Messi.
Things are pretty tense between Barcelona and Real Madrid these days. They've been trading blows with public statements and accusations.
Real Madrid seems to be taking most of the blame, especially with their president, Florentino Perez, straight-up attacking Barcelona. He's accusing them of fixing games through the Negreira scandal.
Barcelona, of course, isn't taking it quietly. Joan Laporta fired back at Perez at a Christmas dinner last night.
Victor Font, who used to run for Barcelona president, recently shared his thoughts on the situation.
He actually agreed with Joan Laporta for once, saying Real Madrid is obviously in the wrong.
"I totally agree with what the Barça president said, and I'd even go further," Font stated.
Barcelona fans are really offended that Florentino Perez is questioning Barcelona's history, especially when it involves what was probably the best soccer team ever.
And for the president of a club with so many suspicious wins to say this is just awful, he added, talking about Perez.
Font went on to explain what he meant by Real Madrid's suspicious titles:
The numbers tell the story. A lot of people might not know that during the 20th century, ten presidents of the Referee Technical Committee had ties to Real Madrid—they were members or even former players.
They weren't paying them off, but it was a huge conflict of interest. "You can find that data!" he added.
Font brought up a recent example: The last president of the CTA, Jose Plaza, was in charge for 23 years. How many titles did Barça win with him versus Real Madrid? Two compared to thirteen.
And during the first five years of payments to Negreira, how many titles did Barça win? "Zero," he pointed out.
Font then said it's ridiculous to question the achievements of one of the greatest teams ever, just because of some payments.
The best team ever is being questioned, a team that won fair and square, and everyone knows it. These payments have nothing to do with influencing referees, he said.
The question is whether paying the number two guy in the referee system for years impacted things or not.
But what's really important is that we're angry with Real Madrid's president for accusing Barça of winning because of referees, he added.
Font then went after Perez, saying it's absurd for him to question Barcelona's success when his team just couldn't compete.
He's doubting the years when Barça was better than Real Madrid because he can't admit we were better for a while.
He's using this as a distraction because his sports plans are failing, the Super League is failing, and he's having problems with the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, Font added.
Font then listed what he thinks Barcelona should do in response to Real Madrid's stance.
You don't defend the club by just talking. The president of Barça should stop with the fancy talk and do something: call out Real Madrid and Real Madrid TV for messing with the competition.
It's a clear conflict of interest when Real Madrid's delegate, Mejia Davila, has his wife in an important position at the CTA. Defending the club means taking action, not just talking, he added.
Font urged Laporta to fix things and demand respect for the club.
Right now, I'd demand that Real Madrid's president apologise, and if he doesn't, cut off all ties. It's unacceptable to try to damage a club like Barça.
Towards the end of the interview, Font criticised Laporta for siding with Real Madrid and caring more about the Super League than Barcelona and Lionel Messi.
Yelling and talking don't defend the club. He's been buddy-buddy with Florentino Perez the whole time, which is what we've been saying from day one.
A few months after becoming president, Joan Laporta had to decide: renew the best player ever or team up with the Super League and Florentino Perez, he added.
He chose Florentino and the Super League over keeping Messi, he concluded.
Finally, Font talked about how Barcelona needs to take a strong stance, both on and off the field.
Since then, Barça has been working with Florentino and taking advice from his people. "It's not okay that they're suddenly changing their tune now, right before the elections," Font said.
This isn't about shouting; it's about doing something. That's why I'm insisting that FC Barcelona take real action. The club needs to call out Real Madrid TV for making and spreading videos that are messing with the competition, he concluded.
BARTOMEU UNCOVERS SECRET 2017 MBAPPé BID DURING REVEALING CADENA SER INTERVIEW
Josep Maria Bartomeu reveals Barcelona targeted Kylian Mbappé in 2017, but coaches preferred a move for Ousmane Dembélé instead
Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has just dropped a bit of a bombshell: right after Neymar left for PSG, Barcelona actually went after Kylian Mbappe. That chaotic summer in 2017, when Neymar's record-breaking move sent shockwaves through the club, left them scrambling for a new superstar.
Bartomeu admitted in an interview with SER that Neymar’s shock exit caught everyone off guard. “Neymar’s departure came as a shock to the club; we didn’t want him to leave,” he said. Suddenly, Barcelona was scouring the market for big names, and with Mbappe starring at Monaco, he became their top target.
But here’s the twist: even though the club reached out for both Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, the coaching staff made the final call. Bartomeu explained, “We made an offer for Mbappe and another for Dembele. The coaching staff preferred Dembele.” So, instead of pushing for Mbappe, Barcelona pressed ahead with Dembele, ultimately striking a deal with Borussia Dortmund worth €105 million plus add-ons.
Of course, there was the small matter of money, too. Bartomeu clarified that the price Monaco set for Mbappe was simply out of reach: €180 million, take it or leave it, and it was PSG who could step up. “It wasn’t an offer in the strict sense. They would say to you, "He's worth €180 million." If you want Mbappe, it’s €180 million, and Paris paid it.” Between the steep price and the coaching staff’s strong preference for Dembele, Barcelona backed off.
Bartomeu also opened up about how he handled transfers during his tenure. One thing stood out: after he pushed for the Luis Suarez signing from Liverpool despite all the controversy and got hammered with criticism, he decided to step back and trust the technical staff from then on. Suarez went on to win the Champions League and four La Liga titles with Barcelona, but that experience taught Bartomeu a lesson. “The only decision I made as president or as an administrator, and which I defended vigorously, was the signing of Suarez,” he said. “I was heavily criticised by all the media, so I learned the lesson that the president or administrators cannot interfere in sporting matters. We must trust the technical staff, the sporting directors, and the coaches; it is they who decide on signings.”
BARCELONA SECURE 14-POINT LEAD OVER MADRID; ESPANYOL RESULT NOW DETERMINES TITLE
Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres scored late to move Barcelona 14 points clear, leaving them one Madrid loss from the title.
Barcelona now sit 14 points ahead of Real Madrid, and if Madrid slips up against Espanyol on Sunday, the title’s theirs.
Lewandowski finally broke the deadlock after 81 minutes, nodding in a header, and Torres added another four minutes from the end. Osasuna didn't quit, though Raul Garcia pulled one back late, but Barcelona held on for all three points. They’re inching closer to a second league title in a row, the club’s 29th overall.
If Madrid beats Espanyol, Barcelona’s next chance to seal it comes in the Clásico on May 10 against their biggest rivals.
Flick’s trying to keep his team’s focus on the next match rather than the Clasico, but Barcelona played the first half like a squad with little to lose. Missing the injured Lamine Yamal, they lost a chunk of their energy on the attack. Sure, they dominated possession, but breaking down Osasuna for real chances? That was tough.
Roony Bardghji, filling in for Yamal on the right, managed a decent long shot, but Osasuna’s keeper, Sergio Herrera, had no trouble stopping it. Honestly, Osasuna nearly shocked everyone before halftime. Ante Budimir battled through two defenders and poked the ball off the post.
Barcelona picked up the pace after the break. Dani Olmo should’ve scored from close range, but he fluffed it. Flick then rolled the dice from the bench, bringing on three subs, including Marcus Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, to take over the right flank.
Rashford almost made an immediate impact, curling a shot just over and injecting some much-needed speed. He set up the opener too, swinging in a perfect cross for Lewandowski, who lost his marker and buried his header. Torres, another sub, finished with precision to double the lead.
Still, it wasn’t comfortable. Garcia scored for Osasuna in stoppage time, left wide open in the box, forcing Barcelona to sweat out the last minutes. The Catalans dug in, clearing everything in sight as Osasuna pressed, but finally, they held on for their tenth league win in a row. Now, all they can do is wait.
