'Barca never bribed a referee': Laporta hits back at Perez

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has strongly refuted Real Madrid's latest accusations, insisting that "Barca have never bribed any referee" as the tension between Spain's two biggest clubs flared up once again.

Speaking at a book presentation in Andorra, Laporta responded to Florentino Perez's remarks at Real Madrid's recent General Assembly, where the Madrid president described Barcelona's past payments to former Referees' Committee vice-president Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira as "not normal" and suggested that referees had been biased against Los Blancos.

Laporta criticised Madrid for repeatedly invoking the Negreira case, accusing the club of dragging Barcelona into the spotlight to justify their own narratives. He reiterated that the payments were not made to influence match officials but were part of consultancy and technical evaluation services, which Barcelona maintain as their official explanation.

"They're present at every turn in the legal proceedings of the Negreira Case, which they're dragging out like chewing gum because they know there's nothing there. Barca have never bribed a referee," he said.

The Barcelona president said Madrid's fixation revealed what he called "Barcelona-itis," claiming the club felt compelled to speak about Barca "to justify who knows what." Laporta also pointed to recent refereeing decisions involving Real Madrid, arguing that two of their goals in the last league match against Elche should not have stood -- one for a possible Jude Bellingham handball, the other for an alleged foul by Vinicius Junior on goalkeeper Inaki Pena.

Laporta framed the dispute as rooted in Madrid's discomfort with Barcelona's dominance between 2004 and 2015.

"They have a persecution complex against the best period in Barca's history," he said, recalling an era when the team was "recognised, admired, and esteemed" for its football and success.

He also addressed Real Madrid's ongoing confrontation with LaLiga president Javier Tebas. While admitting that he had experienced ups and downs with Tebas, Laporta described their relationship as normal and criticised Madrid's attempts to remove him.

"Madrid is obsessed with getting rid of him. And that's not good news," he said.