Real Madrid And Barcelona’s Institutional Rift Continues Ahead Of El Clásico

The relationship between Real Madrid and Barcelona continues to deteriorate at the institutional level, and this weekend’s Clásico will provide yet another reminder of the growing divide between Spain’s two biggest clubs.

The traditional pre-match luncheon between the two boards of directors will once again not take place ahead of Sunday’s showdown at Spotify Camp Nou. Club executives from both sides will not share a table before the match, continuing a pattern of distancing that has become increasingly common over the past several years.

The breakdown in relations largely dates back to 2023, when Barcelona suspended the customary pre-Clásico lunch after Real Madrid joined the Negreira Case as a private prosecutor. That decision significantly escalated tensions between the institutions and fundamentally altered the dynamic between the two clubs at an executive level.

Since then, formal meetings between the boards have either been canceled, minimized, or avoided entirely.

Even earlier this season, when the first Clásico took place at the Santiago Bernabéu, there was no official reception organized between the clubs. While the early kickoff time reduced the practicality of holding a formal luncheon, representatives from both sides still briefly met prior to kickoff.

That will not happen this weekend.

No joint event between the two boards is planned in Barcelona, reinforcing the reality that the relationship between the clubs remains deeply fractured.

Joan Laporta himself acknowledged the deteriorating relationship earlier this year. Ahead of the Spanish Super Cup final in January, the Barcelona president openly stated that relations with Real Madrid had effectively broken down due to the various conflicts surrounding the Negreira Case and other institutional disagreements.

Florentino Pérez’s position has remained firm throughout.

Since the Negreira scandal erupted in 2023, the Real Madrid president has refused to attend Clásicos in Barcelona. He skipped matches played at Montjuïc, and he will once again stay away from Camp Nou this weekend.

It represents a remarkable shift considering the history between the clubs. In March 2023, Florentino declined to sit in the presidential box at Camp Nou for the first time in over two decades.