Barcelona have been at the center of controversy over the past week, with Giuliano Simeone slammed for his decision not to send him for his accusations against Jules Kounde.
Joan Laporta takes aim at referee in La Liga (Image: Getty Images)
Barcelona president Joan Laporta says there is a conspiracy to prevent the club from winning the league after the outrage against Girona. The La Liga side was furious at the weekend after Claudio Echeverri escaped a red card after appearing to stomp on Jules Kounde.
The controversial decision was made following Barcelona’s request not to send off Giuliano Simeone in the Copa del Rey, which was thwarted at the hands of Atletico Madrid. Following the decision, the club issued a lengthy statement confirming that it had lodged a complaint with the RFEF over “deep concerns about repeated decisions by referees which we consider to be detrimental to the game and lack a consistent standard”.
And now Laporta has doubled down on his frustration by claiming that there is an anonymous person who does not want Barça to succeed this season.
At the start of his re-election campaign, he said: “We are protecting Barça so that we can enjoy success in the sporting world. We have a group of treasures in our dressing room, homegrown players united with talent from other parts of the world, all performing with a flick and a deco.”
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“I know the atmosphere there, the work of Flick, the character of the players, and I am confident that we will win La Liga. This will be a league that will fight against everything and everyone, because they not only want to beat us on the field, but they also want to beat us off the field, that is clear.”
“There are a lot of people who don’t want us to win. Certain powers are not aligned with us. We had an intense game on Sunday and Wednesday and it’s normal to experience a dip. When that dip comes, other powers take advantage of it.”
“For example, the stomp on Kounde. We are going to turn this around and rediscover our football. I have spoken to them and they are fully focused.”
Rafina also aired her own grievances (Image: Getty Images)
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He added: “We are protecting Barça from people who never rest, from those in power who are cornering the club and who do not want us to represent them. And we are also protecting Barça from people who do not do what they are supposed to do at any given moment on the field.”
“With so much technology support available, it’s hard to understand why it is used sometimes and sometimes not. They harm us in any way they can. There are groups that will never stop.”
Laporta was not the only one to complain at the Camp Nou. Brazilian winger Rafinha also suggested on social media that rival clubs had been refereed differently this season.
“Yes, there are a lot of things to improve, but we are not the only ones. It will be very complicated for you and for you with different rules, but if you have to play with everyone to win, it’s okay… We will definitely succeed. Long live Barça.”
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