It’s been almost five years since FC Barcelona had to settle for a 1-1 draw at UD Las Palmas. (DATA: La Liga results and schedule)
A cracking free-kick from Barca legend Lionel Messi wasn’t enough for the Catalans to win as referee Mateu Lahoz pointed to the spot after a handball. It should be the first penalty against Barca in 746 days and 78 La Liga games.
Actually, a statistic that only data gurus brag about. But suddenly a possible proof of the next Barca affair: an alleged referee scandal.
Charges against Bartomeu and son
At the instigation of former FCB President Josep Maria Bartomeu, the Catalans are said to have transferred a total of 1.4 million euros to Enriquez Negreira, the then Vice President of the Technical Referee Committee and ex-referee, between 2016 and 2018.
According to the Spanish media, the Spanish judiciary has indicted Bartomeu and his son on suspicion of corruption.
According to the current Spanish league leaders, the ominous sum of money is said to have served the sole purpose of pointing out the peculiarities of different referees to the Barca players.
The Spanish press and especially the Madrid sports media as and Brand smell a fraud scandal. (NEWS: All the latest information about La Liga)
Punishment statistics as an indication?
According to the two media companies, the first indications on a sporting level are numbers of dismissals and penalties for and against the Blaugrana, which are said to be in an exorbitant disproportion in comparison to other Spanish first division clubs.
During the cash flow period, Barca surpassed their eternal rivals Real Madrid in terms of domestic championships. So Messi and Co. only had to admit defeat once in the three La Liga seasons. (DATA: La Liga table)
From the point of view of the given dismissals, the 2016/17 season is particularly eye-catching: while Real was only allowed to play four times with a majority, opponents FC Barcelona received ten red cards.
However, this can also be due to Barcelona’s enormous ball possession dominance, as the opponents often only chased the ball frustratedly and often came too late with their tackles.
Difference: Barca with maximum values
When looking at the penalties given, the disparity is not so clear: in the 2018/19 season, six fewer penalties were awarded against the Catalans than against the white ballet.
But if you analyze the previous season, Real were awarded five more penalties than then-champion Barcelona. (NEWS: Eintracht shooting star before moving to Barca?)
Die as In his execution, he refers to the difference between Barca’s received penalties and the decisions that were made against the Catalans’ opponents. (NEWS: Xavi comments on Lewy’s winning mentality)
For example, between 2003 and 2018, the Tiki-Taka squad received 68 more penalties than against them – a maximum in La Liga. During this period, Barcelona was also the best when it came to the difference in sending off: The Blaugrana were allowed to play 43 times more often than they were outnumbered.
But here, too, it is difficult to say whether this was really due to an alleged advantage or whether it was just due to Barca’s dominant football.
