{"id":17623,"date":"2025-12-17T03:42:51","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T03:42:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/17\/xabi-alonso-demands-immediate-response-to-major-scandal-its-not-normal\/"},"modified":"2025-12-17T03:42:51","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T03:42:51","slug":"xabi-alonso-demands-immediate-response-to-major-scandal-its-not-normal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/17\/xabi-alonso-demands-immediate-response-to-major-scandal-its-not-normal\/","title":{"rendered":"Xabi Alonso demands immediate response to major scandal: ‘It’s not normal’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Real Madrid is growing frustrated as an investigation into Barcelona’s payments to companies linked to former Spanish refereeing chief Jose Mar\u00eda Enriquez Negreira approaches its third year.<\/h2>\n
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December 16, 2025, 16:00<\/span>Updated December 16, 2025 16:05<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\n<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/span>Xabi Alonso supports Real Madrid president Florentino Perez<\/span>(Image: Dennis Agyeman\/European Press via Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n
Xabi Alonso has echoed Real Madrid president Florentino Perez’s call for “justice” over the massive corruption scandal involving rivals Barcelona. The Negreira incident has rocked the Spanish soccer world for more than two and a half years, and a criminal investigation is still ongoing.<\/p>\n
Barcelona have previously admitted to making payments worth 8.4 million euros (about 730 million yen) between 2001 and 2018 to companies linked to former Spanish refereeing chief Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Enriquez Negreira, but Bar\u00e7a president Joan Laporta reiterated that they were made in exchange for scouting reports on La Liga referees.<\/p>\n
Negreira, however, denies accepting bribes to influence referee decisions. However, these claims did not satisfy Real, with Perez calling it “the biggest scandal in football history” at the club’s Christmas reception for the media this week.<\/p>\n
“It is completely incomprehensible that institutions would leave Madrid alone in this fight,” Perez insisted. \u201cHow is it possible that the chief judge would tell us to forget about it?<\/p>\n
“How can we forget the biggest scandal in the history of football? Why would the RFEF (Spanish Football Federation) and La Liga behave like this? They have a duty to ensure integrity.”<\/p>\n
read more: Marcus Rashford’s response to Barcelona manager’s private chat reveal says it all<\/span><\/span>read more: Jurgen Klopp “closes the door” on the resignation of Real Madrid’s second manager<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
Perez added: “Some club could have been demoted as a victim of the Negreira incident.” Our football has been damaged and justice must be done. \u201d<\/p>\n
Alonso backed Perez ahead of Wednesday’s Copa del Rey trip to Talavera de la Reina, saying: “We share the position of the club and the president. The most important thing is that, in the interests of football, we need to find out the truth about what happened.”<\/p>\n
The Real manager continued: “We are all human and we all make mistakes, but here an incident occurred that needs to be investigated.<\/p>\n
“Overseas, what happened here really shocks people. There are no consequences, no accountability. That’s why it’s so important to find out what happened. This is not normal and cannot be taken as normal.”<\/p>\n
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\n<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/span>Jose Mar\u00eda Enriquez Negreira is at the center of the investigation<\/span>(Image: David Zorrakino\/Europa Press, Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Laporta was asked to respond to Perez’s comments later on Tuesday, ahead of Bar\u00e7a’s cup match away to Guadalajara. Laporta replied: “Acute Barcelitis in Madrid suits us because they are not worried about what they should be worried about.”<\/p>\n
“If the discourse has changed, it’s because there were similarities between the projects in the past. They’re still dragging on the Negreira issue because it’s not working for them.”<\/p>\n
Both teams will play a Copa del Rey match this weekend before playing their final league match of 2025. Hansi Flick’s Barcelona are currently at the top of La Liga, four points ahead of Real, although they were five points behind Alonso’s side after losing in El Clasico at the end of October.<\/p>\n
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