Joan Laporta comments reignite tensions in Barcelona-Real Madrid feud

His latest comments have deepened the rift between the two clubs, whose relationship has soured throughout 2025.

Last month, Florentino Perez used Real Madrid's General Assembly to attack Barcelona over the Negreira case, accusing the Catalan club of harming Spanish football. Laporta responded by claiming Real Madrid "are obsessed with Barcelona".

Speaking with La Vanguardia, Laporta criticised the atmosphere in the Bernabeu directors' box, where Perez often sits with senior political figures.

"Real Madrid represent power and Barca represent freedom," Laporta said. "I don't know what business is done in the Bernabeu VIP box. We're more connected to democracy and freedom. Our relationship with Florentino Perez is cordial, but we think differently."

Perez also suggested exploring external investment in Real Madrid. Laporta insisted such a move is impossible at Barca.

"At Barca we are not considering any of this," he said. "Barca will always be owned by its members. That connection to the community is vital."

With Barcelona's debt under scrutiny, Laporta defended the club's financial model and its talks with investors working on the Camp Nou renovation.

"Barca aren't a business, they're an institution," he said. "We have different rules. Becoming a public limited company would damage our essence."

Laporta confirmed that Barcelona have stepped away from the Super League, the only major project that recently aligned the two clubs.

"We want peace and sustainability in football," he said. "The uncertainty around the Super League doesn't benefit us."

He added that Real Madrid are behind the "free football" platform Unify.

"We reached an agreement with the platform, then found out Madrid were behind it," Laporta said. "Conflict doesn't help anyone."

Laporta's remarks ensure that the off-field rivalry between Spain's two biggest clubs continues to intensify.

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