Joan Laporta went straight to the Referees’ dressing room after 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid as he approached them.
The latest match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid was emotionally charged despite the Catalans’ close 2-1 loss.
In the post-game news conference, Xavi Hernandez already discussed the disparities between the two teams, while Jules Kounde acknowledged that Barcelona should have fouled Toni Kroos prior to Real Madrid’s opening goal.
But according to a recent revelation (thanks to Gerard Romero), Joan Laporta apparently had a conversation with the referee. The Barça president is said to have gone to the referee’s locker room to ask questions about some of his calls during the game.
In the 78th minute of this El Clasico, Robert Lewandowski was brought down inside the box, and Sanchez Martinez, 56, raised many eyebrows by not awarding Barcelona a penalty.
Martinez reversed his own decision in the 91st minute and gave Real Madrid a late penalty. He determined it to be a foul even though Eric Garcia’s tackle of Rodrygo seemed to be a soft touch.
After the defeat, Joan Laporta went to the referee’s room to ask about several of his decisions. This was confirmed by the referee’s official actions following the game.
After Barcelona’s midweek draw with Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League, Laporta had a busy and generally frustrating week that was brought to a close by this incident. Laporta was also reportedly upset with Xavi at the time.
After significant investments in the summer, Laporta’s idea is still slowly disintegrating, therefore it’s high time Barcelona got their act together and started winning again.
On Thursday, the Catalans will welcome Villarreal as they continue their La Liga season.
