Real Madrid supporters goad Barcelona with brutal tifo

Jacque Talbot

• 15 Mar 2023 15:40 CDT
• 3 min read

Real Madrid fans have taken the opportunity of their Champions League encounter with Liverpool to have a dig at their arch-rivals Barcelona.

At the Santiago Bernabeu, images showed the home supporters with a large banner that indirectly took a shot at the Catalans, who are currently embroiled in allegations of corruption. The tifo read: “El lado bueno de la historia - meaning ‘The good side of history’.

It comes after tt has been revealed that the La Liga outfit had made several payments to Enriquez Negreira between 2001 and 2018 when he was vice-president of the referees’ committee in Spain. Now Spanish clubs are claiming that they had been buying favour from match officials during that period.

“The good side of history” pic.twitter.com/ta6S3NLIVt

— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) March 15, 2023

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However,. Barca maintain that payments were made to Negreira were all above board and were related to reporters on youth players and referee behaviour.

Pique rubbishes claims

Former star Gerard Pique opened up about the affair, telling RAC1 that the Blaugrana were playing so well during the period that they wouldn’t have needed to look for any assistance from officials.

“I put my hand in the fire that Barça have not bought off referees. If you want to buy a referee, it’s as easy as giving him an envelope in black. You don’t go to a vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees. There is no logic to it. We are used to conspiracies and campaigns from here on.

“We didn’t know that the club paid this man. The players, especially those of us who have been here for more years, already know about the referees, but it’s good for the coaches, especially those who come from outside, to have these reports. As a player, I don’t know if that’s what this man’s job was.”

“As much as they want to tarnish it, it’s such a golden era… it’s no longer what we won but how it was won. They can review everything. We were far, far superior. We didn’t depend on the referees. I would pass over it and move on to the next. It’s true that the Public Prosecutor’s Office is involved, but I trust the club.”