‘Inexplicable’—Joan Laporta Launches Stunning Referee Tirade on Barcelona’s Behalf

The Barcelona official claims referees have been “messing things up” for the club.

Joan Laporta is campaigning for re-election after leaving office on Feb. 9 as per the formal process. | Javier Borrego/Europa Press/Getty Images

Joan Laporta revealed Barcelona already complained to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) about the refereeing of their matches, even before a confirmed mistake contributed to a shock defeat by Girona last weekend.

The refereeing committee admitted there was a foul on Jules Kounde directly before Girona scored their 86th-minute winner that wasn’t called. The goal was reviewed by the video assistant referee (VAR) on duty at the time but was still allowed to stand. That VAR has since been suspended.

But the incident wasn’t even the straw that broke the camel’s back for Barça, with Laporta claiming that “trends” he described as “inexplicable” and “difficult to explain” were already being noticed.

“The club has sent a letter to the federation, which oversees the Technical Committee of Referees. It’s a very well-argued document, attempting to be constructive with indisputable facts ... and that was before the stamp on Kounde,” the current former president said, speaking publicly at a re-election event, ironically in Girona.

“We Barça fans are proud of Girona; those of us from Barcelona also have a part of Girona in us. In fact, I’m happy for their victories, as long as they’re not against us. But the stamp was blatant, and regarding the penalty [missed] by Lamine [Yamal], if there’s a VAR system that’s supposed to monitor irregularities, then it should see that two players entered the area first [and it should be retaken].”

Barcelona players were left stunned at Montilivi. | David Ramirez/Soccrates/Getty Images

Laporta went on to say there is no use complaining about things that have gone against the club, instead using their voice to “improve” the standards in the future.

“In any case, what’s happening here is that we can’t just dwell on complaining; that’s not the behaviour of a club of Barça’s stature. We must be clear, express our opinion to the relevant bodies, and try to improve this group,” he declared.

“But we’re starting to see trends that are inexplicable, that are difficult to explain. There are certain referees, and it’s a constant, recurring issue, that when they call our games, they really mess things up for us, and that’s the reality. You could name them all, and it’s happened more than once, with identical plays. They’ve even called the opposite of what they’ve called against us, to our detriment. That’s blatant.”

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Barcelona, Real Madrid Share Similar Views on Spanish Referees

Both clubs believe they are targeted. | Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Laporta appeared to point fingers at supposedly more favourable treatment of Real Madrid from officials: “It’s true that when we’re going through a rough patch, they try to crush us. And when the others are going through a rough patch, they help them out; they’ve learned to swim and they dive right in.”

Ironically, Real Madrid have been embroiled in their own long-running battle with Spanish referees, formally complaining to RFEF and Spain’s High Council for Sports in February 2025 off the back of a defeat to Espanyol. Los Blancos alleged bias against them, with the shocking letter in question claiming: “Decisions against Real Madrid have reached a level of manipulation and adulteration of the competition that can no longer be ignored.”

The response from La Liga president Javier Tebas at the time was clear: “Football doesn’t revolve around Real Madrid,” accusing the club of “losing” its head. Only three months later, the club’s notorious in-house media arm launched a ferocious attack on referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea after he was appointed to officiate the Copa del Rey final.

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What’s the Impact of the Mistake That Cost Barcelona?

The foul on Jules Koundé was not called. | Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Barcelona lost one, or potentially even three points had they found a late winner of their own, against Girona. The Catalans now trail Real Madrid by two points in the current La Liga standings and, should they lose the title by such a narrow margin, attention will come back to this moment.

Whether the club would launch some form of legal action or dispute in that scenario remains to be seen but would not come as a surprise.

There are still 14 matches each left to play and both will undoubtedly drop more points in what remains of this rollercoaster campaign that has seen the lead pass back and forth several times.

But a confirmed officiating mistake that directly cost Barcelona at least one point is more tangible than just a perceived injustice. It also gives the club someone else to blame other than themselves should other bad games still to come be the result of their own shortcomings.

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