With the campaign entering its final weeks, the prospect of an ‘honour guard’ has resurfaced in the Real Madrid–Barcelona rivalry. Los Blancos’ 1–1 draw with Girona at the Bernabéu has all but ended their La Liga title challenge.
Journalist Guillem Borras Pérez fuelled the debate on the “X” platform, writing: “If Madrid lose one of their three remaining matches before the Clásico at Camp Nou, and Barcelona win all theirs, we could see a guard of honour for the champions.”
Defensa Central, a website loyal to Real Madrid, hit back, labelling any such guard of honour a “scandal” and a “lack of respect” for sporting competition and equality.
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Madridistas argue that Barça does not deserve the gesture, especially while the ongoing Negreira case—seen as “the straw that broke the camel’s back”—remains unresolved.
The Whites insist, The club insists, via the site, that relations have been badly hurt by Barça’s stance as a party to the legal case, and it is calling for a full investigation into the suspicious payments made over several years to Enric Negreira, the former vice-chairman of the Referees’ Committee—payments that stopped as soon as he left office.
They demand “accountability” and a ban on appointing referees with any links to that circle, arguing that the absence of a clear explanation for the payments only deepens suspicion.
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Barcelona counters that Madrid’s criticism is strategic and designed to undermine it, insisting the payments were for legitimate consultancy work and that justice should run its course without deliberate delay.
While a guard of honour is not compulsory, both clubs have paid the compliment in previous meetings.
Yet current legal and sporting friction makes such a gesture unlikely, especially ahead of the eagerly awaited Clásico at Camp Nou.
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Real Madrid want a swift resolution to the Negreira case to protect the integrity of Spanish football, insisting that the truth must be revealed to restore confidence in the competition. Barcelona, meanwhile, hope to clinch the title and put their rivals in a difficult position, regardless of whether the guard of honour goes ahead.
The bigger question is whether Sunday’s Clásico will see a guard of honour or whether rising tensions will scotch the tradition. The answer may shape the finale of an already combustible season.