Barcelona president: Real Madrid want to tear La Liga apart

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FT Desk

Barcelona President Joan Laporta has accused Real Madrid of trying to tear Spanish football apart with their constant attacks on referees, as well as La Liga President Javier Tebas.

There was some controversy created last week when Tebas likened Real Madrid's official TV channel to Nazi propaganda after the club media was heavily critical of La Liga's decision to give Vinicius Junior a four-match ban following a dismissal against Villarreal.

Los Blancos were outraged by the comparison and demanded, not for the first time, that Tebas be removed as head of the league.

All of that came with the ongoing Negreira case in the background, which involves an investigation into Barcelona for payments made to a refereeing chief between 2001 and 2018.

Madrid have been at war with pretty much everyone this season, including referees, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and La Liga as a whole.

"I want to say how lucky we are to have Javier Tebas as president of LaLiga, who has the experience that these matters require," Laporta told reporters on Saturday.

"What's more, he [Tebas] has good criteria to countering these attacks that Real Madrid are launching against La Liga; it seems they [Madrid] want to tear everything apart -- they want to tear La Liga apart, they want to tear the Referees' Technical Committee apart; they're not happy with the [Spanish Football] Federation either -- they're not happy with anything.

"Thankfully, the president of LaLiga is aware of this and has the experience gained from countless battles to counter these attacks, which are unbecoming of a club that is a member of LaLiga."

Barcelona are currently five points clear at the top of La Liga and this weekend face Real Madrid in the Clasico. Jose Mourinho's men are down in third, six points off the pace.

In the weekend victory over Sevilla, Real Madrid supporters also chanted towards Tebas, urging him to resign.

In response to Madrid's demands, Tebas said, in part:

"Real Madrid's management has settled into manipulation and falsehood, including in their official statements and posts. They stoke grievances, repeat accusations, put people in the crosshairs, and then present themselves as victims when the process is denounced.

"They can keep calling for my resignation. The questions about their sources, their accusations, and the schedules remain unanswered since October 16."

Real Madrid TV and Real Madrid-leaning publication El Debate suggested there was a "conspiracy" against the club following the decision to ban Vinicius Junior for four matches.