Real Madrid and Barcelona, two of Spain's most prominent football clubs, have found themselves embroiled in a heated debate, with both sides accusing the other of being the "profit-making club of the dictator Francisco Franco era."
The debate, which has been dubbed the "regime's club debate," began when Barcelona Club President Joan Laporta accused Real Madrid of double standards in the so-called "Negreira incident" during a recent news conference.
Laporta alleged that Barcelona paid a company to obtain information about referees.
In response, Laporta referred to Real Madrid as "the club of the regime," citing the club's alleged history of benefiting from referee mistakes.
He accused Real Madrid of having close ties to the Franco regime, claiming that referees, presidents, former members of Madrid, football players and managers all had connections to the dictatorship over a period of 70 years.
Real Madrid, for their part, responded with a broadcast on Real Madrid TV, in which archival footage and newspaper clippings were used to remind viewers of Barcelona's own connections to the Franco regime.
The broadcast highlighted the fact that Barcelona's stadium Nou Camp was inaugurated by a minister of the Franco era, that the club was awarded a gold badge by Franco and that Franco was even made an honorary member of the club in 1965.
It was also noted that Barcelona had won numerous league championships and cups during the Franco era.
Real Madrid also made the case that their own club suffered during the Franco era, with a 15-year wait for a league championship and players being killed, arrested and deported during the civil war.
The debate has caused consternation in the Spanish sports press, with commentators noting that the fight between the two clubs over their connections to the Franco regime could ultimately harm both teams.
It remains to be seen how this debate will ultimately play out, but for now, it seems that both sides are determined to defend their reputations and set the record straight on their histories.
