SPORT: ‘Real Madrid should give us back the titles’ – Ex-Barca President on Negreira

koserenaija.com December 8, 2023 0 Comments

Former Barcelona President Joan Gaspart has complained that if Real Madrid want to take the moral highground on the ongoing Caso Negreira scandal, then they should look at their own past.

 

Currently there is an ongoing investigation into Barcelona’s relationship with former Vice-President of the Referees Committee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, with charges of Sporting Corruption and Bribery being levelled at them.

 

 

Gas-part, who has acknowledged himself as the worst President in Barcelona history, told Radio Barcelona (via Marca) that Real Madrid should hand over the titles they won with Alfredo di Stefano.

“If they want to talk so much about ethics in Madrid, then they can give us back the European Cups and the Leagues that they won with Di Stefano and we are all at peace.”

“Ethics is about the present, the past and the future. Just as illegal things can go beyond the statute of limitations, ethics do not. History is what it is. Ethics are interpretive, I accept it. But be careful with ethics, there are many clubs that have had former international referees as team delegates. I believe that referees are honest and can make mistakes, just as directors and managers can. I believe that no club in Spanish football has paid to have the favour of a referee.”

 

 

Gaspart is referring to the controversial transfer of Alfredo di Stefano to Real Madrid, where Barcelona had initially signed him, but a bureaucratic battle led to him playing for Los Blancos, and in turn heralding the first great era for Real Madrid. He went on to admit that he

“I have much more hostility for Madrid than for Espanyol, I don’t have any towards them. I want Espanyol to go up to the First Division, but I want Real Madrid to go down to the Second Division.”

Under his tenure, in 2001, the payments to Negreira that are documented began taking place. However due to that statute of limitations, Gaspart is not currently involved in the legal case, nor is he in legal danger, whereas Sandro Rosell, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Joan Laporta could all face charges.