Barcelona president Laporta criticises Real Madrid in annual Christmas dinner speech

VIDEO SHOWS: COMMENTS FROM FC BARCELONA PRESIDENT JOAN LAPORTA ABOUT REAL MADRID DURING CHRISTMAS ADDRESS  RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT  SHOWS: BARCELONA, SPAIN (DECEMBER 18, 2025) (FC BARCELONA – Access all)  1. FC BARCELONA PRESIDENT JOAN LAPORTA DURING CHRISTMAS DINNER SPEECH 2. (SOUNDBITE) (Catalan) BARCELONA PRESIDENT JOAN LAPORTA SAYING: “This dimension we have at Barça also breeds envy, because there is envy that arises, and it's handled badly by those who, with underhand tactics, flout all ethical and moral codes of conduct. And not just sporting ones – I mean in general.” 3. WHITE FLASH 4. (SOUNDBITE) (Catalan) BARCELONA PRESIDENT JOAN LAPORTA SAYING: “I suppose you know who I am talking about, those who are the architects of permanent smear campaigns against our badge and our very essence, and we will not allow it.” 5. WHITE FLASH 6. (SOUNDBITE) (Catalan) BARCELONA PRESIDENT JOAN LAPORTA SAYING: "They are the ones who confuse power with despotism, far from being ‘enlightened’. They are the ones who practise cynicism and disproportionate arrogance. They are the ones who have a rubbish TV channel that only spews lies and constantly and permanently poisons." 7. WHITE FLASH 8. (SOUNDBITE) (Catalan) BARCELONA PRESIDENT JOAN LAPORTA SAYING: "To them, what I say is that Barca, Barca is strong again on and off the pitch. We are strong again." STORY:  Barcelona president Joan Laporta attacked rivals Real Madrid during a speech at the club’s traditional Christmas dinner on Thursday (December 18). “This dimension we have at Barça also breeds envy,” Laporta said, without naming Real Madrid directly. "They are the ones who practise cynicism and disproportionate arrogance." The remarks come against the backdrop of an ongoing probe into alleged payments by Barcelona of more than 7.3 million euros ($7.8 million) over 17 years to firms owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, who was vice-president of the the Spanish Football Federation's (RFEF) refereeing committee from 1993 to 2018. Laporta has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Back in 2023, he said an internal investigation conducted by the club found no evidence of illegal activity and said the case was an orchestrated campaign to discredit the team. (Production: Miguel Gutierrez, Elena Rodriguez)

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