Refereeing standards within LaLiga have been fiercely criticized by Joan Laporta who asserts that some referees are always damaging towards Barcelona since the club lost the match to Girona 2-1.
A controversial defeat that has sparked the debate regarding refereeing in Spanish football made the Barcelona president hold nothing back. Laporta did not point out any names, but he is convinced that there is a repetitive pattern, which does not benefit his club, and he claims he cannot ignore the evidence.
Laporta Cites Trend, Not an isolated Game.
The Girona loss was the catalyst but Laporta made it very clear his frustrations go deeper than one loss. He pointed to two particular moments during the match one stamp on Jules Kounde and a penalty given to Lamine Yamal where he alleges two players had been in the field before he took the shower.
Barcelo have now officially acted. Laporta affirmed that the club has sent a letter to the Royal Spanish Football Federation that controls the Technical Committee of Referees.
Laporta said that the Federation had been sent a letter by the club. It is a highly debated letter which tries to be constructive and facts cannot be disputed. And that prior to the stamp of Koundé.
Stamp was overt and in the punishment of Lamine there was a VAR to check on the abnormalities and such a VAR should have noticed that two players entered the field first.
“I Could Tell You Who All and Every One of Them Are.”
The most captivating remarks by Laporta were those of going beyond the Girona game altogether. According to his claims, some referees routinely make bad decisions at particular times in the matches involving Barcelona and that the same referees have made the opposite decisions in similar events in other clubs.
According to Laporta, there are referees who always, persistently, give us the straight-jackets whenever they referee our matches. I may tell you who each of them is. Since it has not just happened once, it has happened many times. And with the same, or with nearly the same plays, they have put the reverse of the same thing they have accused us of. It’s outrageous.”
He also proposed that the problem is further exacerbated when Barcelona are experiencing a bad time. When we are depressed, they attempt to trample us. And when other people are down they support them, he said.
His remarks were largely read as an allusion to the perceived unequal treatment of Barcelona as compared to the other team, Real Madrid although he did not explicitly mention them.
Laporta Calls on Barça to transcend it.
Although strong in his words, Laporta also ensured he was more cautious in the tone he took concerning the way the club ought to react.
We can not sit down and grumble.
This is not something a club of the stature of Barca should have, said he. We have to be bold, to show the officials what we think, and attempt to make this group better.
However we are now on the verge of seeing dynamics which cannot be explained, which are hard to explain.
In his words, he also recognized the broader identity of the club, and he said: Some people simply can not stand who we are, what we represent.
Messi, Camp Nou, and the Bigger Picture.
Another major issue concerning the club that Laporta touched on in his media appearance is the one regarding the club. On Lionel Messi, he again said it is unrealistic that he would ever come back as a player, but supported the proposal of a statue in his honour at the Argentine’s favourite stadium the Spotify Camp Nou – along with club legends Johan Cruyff and László Kubala.
Laporta said that the club is still striving to find some significant tributes to Messi, who made a surprise visit to the refurbished stadium in late 2025.In the current Camp Nou overhaul project, Laporta renewed the goal of the club to restore it to one of the top facilities in the world. He also cited the famous Barcelona youth academy La Masia as the key to the future of the club- indicating that Lamine Yamal has emerged as evidence of its relevance.
Laporta Claims Backlash on Refereeing.
Laporta has not escaped criticism on his comments as a referee. There have been calls on him to apologize by former officials who believed that his words were tainting the integrity of referees in Spanish football.
It is not the first incident when the Barcelona president conflicts with the referee organizations. This has been the case with other matches against Atlentiko Madrid and other occasions during the champions league in the past few seasons.
Both sides: Laporta has proven himself once again to be ready to speak openly about what he believes to be institutional favoritism against Barcelona. It is yet to be seen whether his words will bring any significant change or will just continue the existing tension between him and the football authorities at Spain.
