Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has this evening issued a response to the recent jibes aimed at his side by arch rivals Barcelona.
Tensions between Spanish football’s two biggest clubs have of course reached boiling point across the week to date.
This comes amid the ongoing fallout from Real’s controversial comeback victory over Almería last Sunday.
After Los Blancos were the beneficiaries of a whole host of refereeing decisions, both Barcelona boss Xavi Hernández, and president Joan Laporta, aimed less-than-subtle digs at those on the other side of the Clásico divide.
This has since been followed by Real Madrid TV hitting back at the former, by essentially calling into question the validity of his trophy haul as a Barcelona player owing to the ongoing ‘Negreira case’.
And, as alluded to above, on Friday, Carlo Ancelotti has followed suit.
Drawn on the suggestions stemming from Catalunya that Real are essentially being favoured by officials on a weekly basis, Ancelotti revealed his take that as much comes amid an ongoing effort on Barcelona’s part to distract from the real issue at hand – the aforementioned Negreira case.
“This week they have talked a lot,” the Italian began. “I think the same as what I said before, I don’t like getting into this kind of thing. We don’t need to distract from the key issue. Everyone knows what has happened in the last 23 years in Spanish football, here is the problem. The League is not adulterated, Spanish football has had a problem. Now the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office and the police are carrying out the investigation and now we have to wait. We must not distract from the key issue.”
Conor Laird | GSFN
