MADRID — The days of a wholesome rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid are over.

What was a cordial relationship between the Spanish powerhouses has turned ugly following the most recent scandal involving Barcelona over funds to a former refereeing official.

Neither membership is holding again, and there's no hiding the connection has been strained.

“It’s damaged,” Barcelona president Joan Laporta mentioned. “We have had an harmonious institutional relationship with all clubs, including Madrid. The ‘clasico’ is the greatest spectacle in the world and there is always an intense rivalry. But to me, the institutional relationship has been harmed because of them.”

The golf equipment have been buying and selling direct assaults ever because it turned public that Barcelona had paid greater than 7 million euros ($7.6 million) over a number of years for refereeing experiences produced by the corporate of a former vice chairman of the nation’s refereeing committee.

Barcelona was formally accused by prosecutors of alleged corruption in sports, fraudulent administration and falsification of mercantile documentation, and Madrid was among the many golf equipment that determined to participate within the authorized proceedings. The group expressed its “utmost concern regarding the gravity of the facts” and mentioned it was an “affected party” within the matter.

PHOTOS: Rivalry between Barcelona and Madrid takes flip for worse

Barcelona has denied it tried to affect referees with its funds, and Laporta mentioned Monday in his first information convention to elucidate the membership’s actions that it was “an unprecedented exercise in cynicism” for Madrid to say it was harmed by referees throughout Barcelona’s most profitable period.

“Everyone knows that Real Madrid is a club that is historically favored by refereeing decisions, and continues to be now,” Laporta mentioned. “It’s a club that has been known for being the club of the regime, because of its proximity to those in power politically, economically and in sports.”

Laporta claimed that for seven many years the highest refereeing officers within the nation had been linked to Madrid.

“For 70 years, those in charge of making sure that there was justice on the field were either former members or players or officials from Madrid,” he mentioned in one of many harshest assaults but by Barcelona.

Madrid didn’t keep quiet, and late Monday revealed a video on its tv channel and social media accounts refuting Laporta’s claims.

Using photographs from Laporta’s information convention and previous footage of occasions associated to Barcelona’s historical past, Madrid linked the rival membership to former dictator Gen. Francisco Franco, together with in the course of the inauguration of Camp Nou Stadium. The video of greater than 4 minutes ended with the query, “What was the team of the regime?”

The Catalan authorities known as the video “fake news” and requested Madrid to apologize and take away it from its websites.

“It’s irresponsible, an offense and an insult to the thousands of people who suffered during the Franco regime, as well as to Barcelona and to the club’s president at the time, Josep Suñol, who was shot by the regime, which is something that perhaps Madrid forgot,” Catalan authorities spokeswoman Patrícia Plaja mentioned.

Barcelona and Madrid over time have had a wholesome relationship and an unstated pact of no aggression between the golf equipment, together with relating to recruiting gamers in youth squads or in points associated to the Spanish soccer federation and the Spanish league. They have been companions within the try and create the Super League, and had been nonetheless working collectively to attempt to get the undertaking launched.

Laporta mentioned the now-strained relationship between the golf equipment mustn't have an effect on the Super League undertaking.

“Barcelona is not involved in the Super league because of other clubs,” he mentioned. “We are involved because we think it’s important for the sustainability of European soccer.”

Laporta mentioned he believed Madrid president Florentino Pérez, who didn’t attend the final two “clasicos” at Camp Nou, has been “under a lot of pressure by Madrid fans.” Still, he mentioned he believed Madrid ought to have waited longer earlier than deciding to participate within the authorized proceedings towards Barcelona.

On the sector, the groups confronted one another 5 instances this season, with three victories by Barcelona and two by Madrid, together with a 4-0 rout of the Catalan membership at Camp Nou within the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals.

Barcelona beat Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium within the first leg of the Copa del Rey, and in addition within the Spanish Super Cup ultimate in Saudi Arabia. It additionally gained within the ultimate Spanish league sport between the golf equipment in a consequence that allowed the Catalan membership to take an enormous step towards successful the title. It has an 11-point lead over Madrid with 9 video games remaining.

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