The love-hate between Laporta and Florentino in the trenches of the ‘Game of Thrones’ of Spanish football: “Why would we get angry?”

In the main room of the Yeda Marriot Hotel everything was doubts. Neither the directors of the Spanish Football Federation Not even the media had the answer to the question that had been forwarded all day between the cell phones of those responsible: «Will Florentino Pérez arrive? If he doesn’t come, will Laporta attend?». The response arrived at 7:45 p.m. in the Saudi afternoon and was the beginning, say its protagonists, of a small institutional truce. We’ll see for how long.

The Marriott garden, located just 20 minutes from Jeddah airport, was the scene of the official reception offered by Rafael Louzán, president of the RFEF, before the final of the Spanish Super Cup. An act that, thanks to the good work of Madrid and Barça in the tournament, has been repeated for several years in Saudi Arabia and provokes moments of maximum morbidity for Spanish football news.

Last year, the Embassy of Spain in Riyadh became the scene of peace between Florentino and Laporta after 10 months of criticism and sit-ins as a result of the Negreira case. And yesterday, twelve months later, the Marriott of Jeddah, with the presence of the honorary consul of Spain at the embassy in Riyadh, Sheikh Abdulaziz Kaki as a mediator, he hosted the reunion between Laporta and Louzán after the blaugrana’s insults in the box of the semi-final against Athleticjust after knowing that the CSD had given him the precautionary Olmo Case and allowed him to register the footballer, contrary to what was decided by LaLiga and the RFEF.

A Laporta-style ‘sorry’

Laporta had not had any public event nor had he been seen since the semifinal, and he had even slipped that if Florentino did not attend, he would not either. Even in that they seemed to go hand in hand. But at 7:45 p.m. he appeared at the reception. Greeted cordially with Louzanhe taught him Barça anthem to the consul’s son, he joked with Villar, praised the ‘Beach Club’ where he had eatengreeted Medina Cantalejo (chief referee) and in his speech, completely improvised, he left a message to the Federation and justified himself, in his own way, for the insults from the box.

The president told the Saudi representatives and the Federation directors that the controversy “that has surrounded this Super Cup” could have been avoided if “the regulations would have been applied correctly, in our opinion». Of course, he was “satisfied” because everything ended up going “well.”

Furthermore, he reflected, without mentioning them, on his gestures and insults in the semi-final ensuring that “football is passionit takes you to the limit…” A Laporta-style ‘sorry’ after the sleeve cuts and the «sons of bitches» in the box.

In the Federation they expected a stronger apologybut the speech and his presence have raised the white flag. Barça’s next battle will be when the precautionary period ends, and if in the meantime they can avoid having the Federation against them, the better for them.

While the truce between Barça and the RFEF is signed, Madrid remains on the sidelines. The silence of the white team after the granting of the precautionary measure to Barça by the CSD, also in the press conferences of Ancelotti and players this week, has been much commented on by the clubs LaLiga and criticized by the president of the competition, Javier Tebas. «Where is Real Madrid TV?», he wrote on his social networks.

Madrid, on the sidelines

Florentino did not go to the Marriott, assuring the club that he had not yet landed in the city, and instead the Madrid board showed cordiality with Laporta and Louzán. Jose Angel Sanchezgeneral director of the club, chatted for a minute with the Barça manager in very good harmony and Butragueño He replaced Pérez on stage in a friendly manner. Calm reigned and the Madrid delegation left the place after half an hour. As friendly as fast.

From Negreira to the Superliga

The relationship between Madrid and Barcelona never ceases to surprise. Friends in so many things, enemies in so many others. The whites appeared at the trial of the Negreira case feeling harmed, but they are united with their rival in the project of the Super Leaguein the trench against Thebes and the UEFA and in their complaints, among others, about the agreement with the CVC Fund. «Barça and Madrid they have to help each otherI say it sincerely. It is a club that is among the largest in the world. Why would we get angry?», said Florentino himself in the last Madrid Assembly.

Tebas is now vice president of the RFEF, a decision that Florentino and Laporta did not like despite the fact that Louzán has shown his «full availability» to have, and he emphasized it again yesterday, «a lasting peace».

Somewhere on the fine line that separates love and hate between both clubs is the current moment of their relationship, with Madrid maintaining calm even though part of its fans demand that it criticize its great rival. A ‘Game of Thrones‘in which tonight they will be enemies again on the field, but in the box Laporta and Florentino They will meet again to measure the sensations of their relationship.