Barcelona have officially responded after Florentino Perez launched an extraordinary public attack during a dramatic press conference on Tuesday.
The Real Madrid president spoke for more than an hour only days after his side’s painful 2-0 defeat in El Clasico.
Perez addressed several major issues surrounding the club’s disastrous season, including media criticism, La Liga, refereeing and corruption allegations involving Barcelona.
His comments immediately caused huge controversy across Spain. Now, Barcelona have reacted publicly after Perez again referenced the ongoing Negreira investigation.
In an official statement, the Catalan club confirmed their legal department is now reviewing the accusations made by the Real Madrid president. The statement read.
“Regarding the press conference held by the Real Madrid president, Florentino Pérez, we inform that our legal department are carefully examining his declarations and accusations.
“They are currently being analyzed and the steps to be taken are being assessed.”
Perez once again raised the Negreira case during his explosive appearance in front of the media.
The investigation centres around allegations that Barcelona paid millions to a company linked to former refereeing official José María Enríquez Negreira between 2001 and 2018.
Barcelona have repeatedly denied wrongdoing throughout the investigation. The latest exchange has only intensified tensions between Spain’s two biggest clubs during an already chaotic period.
Relations between Perez and Barcelona president Joan Laporta have become increasingly hostile in recent years.
Perez reportedly also avoided discussing growing speculation surrounding Jose Mourinho and a possible return to Real Madrid during the press conference.
Instead, much of the focus shifted towards refereeing controversy and criticism of Spanish football authorities.
The dramatic press conference quickly dominated headlines across Spain and added even more pressure around Real Madrid following a disappointing campaign.
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