In a crucial La Liga clash, former Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos, now with Sevilla, inadvertently scored an own goal, securing victory for his old rivals Barcelona. Ramos, who returned to Spain after a two-year stint with Paris St-Germain, marked his 34th La Liga encounter against Barcelona with this memorable mishap. The 37-year-old deflected Lamine Yamal’s header into his own net, clinching the game for Barcelona.
Barcelona’s triumph was well-deserved, with an action-packed first half that saw Joao Felix strike the underside of the crossbar with a powerful shot. However, Barca suffered a setback when Raphinha had to leave the field due to a first-half hamstring injury.
Despite the victory, Barcelona faced a contentious backdrop, as Sevilla chose not to have any representatives in the VIP box. This move was a protest against the corruption case involving Barcelona. The club faces allegations related to payments made to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, a former vice-president of the referees’ committee, allegedly in exchange for favorable refereeing decisions. Uefa is also investigating this matter.
The Spanish Civil Guard conducted a search at the headquarters of the Spanish Technical Committee of Referees in connection with this case. In response to these developments, Sevilla issued a statement expressing their outrage and condemnation of the actions attributed to former Barcelona officials in the Negreira case, actions that are currently under investigation by the Court of Instruction of Barcelona.
Barcelona, however, firmly denied any wrongdoing and characterized Sevilla’s actions as “an attack against the Catalan institution and an unacceptable offense.”
