Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema and Barcelona’s Gerard Piqué clashed during an El Clásico match. According to a Barcelona club source, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez will not travel to the Camp Nou to watch the La Liga fixture on Sunday. The source also confirmed that the traditional pre‑game lunch between the directors of the two clubs will not take place.
Tensions have risen in the past week after Spanish prosecutors filed a corruption charge against Barcelona for paying a former refereeing chief €7.3 million ($7.9 million) between 2001 and 2018. Real Madrid announced last weekend that it would appear in the case as an “injured party” to defend its interests once the proceedings move forward.
Barcelona host Real Madrid, who are looking to extend their nine‑point lead at the top of La Liga and aim to win the title for the first time since 2019. The Spanish newspaper AS reports that this will be the first Clasico at the Camp Nou that Pérez has missed in 20 years. Relations between the two rivals had seemed to improve recently, as they explored a joint European Super League project in 2021 and remained committed to the idea.
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