The column, written by a lifelong Real Madrid supporter and social worker, argues that Barcelona has become a case study in mass psychology and selective denial. The author says the club and its fans are clinging to a comforting self-image while repeatedly ignoring serious ethical and sporting breaches, all under the slogan of being “more than a club.”
The piece points first to the Negreira affair, saying Barcelona transferred more than 7 million euros over 17 years to Enríquez Negreira, the former vice president of the Spanish referees’ committee. It also describes the club’s financial maneuvers, including sham deals to sell digital assets to shell entities such as Libero, and the controversial registration of Dani Olmo through loopholes that allowed Barcelona to use another player’s long injury absence to add him to the squad after initially lacking the budget and league registration space.
The author accuses Joan Laporta of deflecting blame by claiming a hostile “Madrid establishment” is persecuting Barcelona. The article rejects Barcelona’s official line that Negreira was paid for referee reports and technical advice, saying such reports scarcely existed and that the payments were a clear conflict of interest, especially because Negreira was able to influence promotions, appointments and careers inside refereeing. It cites referee Sánchez Martínez as an example of how powerful Negreira was in the system.
The text also dismisses Barcelona’s attempt to draw moral symmetry with Real Madrid by citing Yolanda Parga and her husband, former referee Carlos Mejía Dávila, who works openly as a referee adviser for Madrid. It says that is not comparable to secret payments to a senior refereeing official. The column concludes that some Barcelona fans and media have chosen collective self-deception, excusing everything from officiating complaints to financial tricks, and that the club’s moral compass has “collapsed.”
