"This week they have talked a lot" - Carlo Ancelotti aims dig at Barcelona following their comments on VAR issue in Real Madrid's win over Almeria

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has provided a sharp response to Barcelona's criticism over recent VAR decisions. The Merengues recently beat relegation-bound Almeria 3-2 in La Liga on January 21. The match was full of controversial VAR calls, which Barca higher-ups have spoken about.

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez told the press (via GOAL):

"You all saw what happened, it will be difficult to win this league."

The Catalan club's president Joan Laporta was even more direct, saying (via GOAL):

"La Liga is adulterated, and VAR has been taken hostage."

Ahead of Real Madrid's La Liga clash against Las Palmas on Saturday (January 27), Carlo Ancelotti has responded to these comments. He also used the opportunity to take a dig at the Blaugrana, bringing up their alleged Jose Negreira scandal. He said (via GOAL):

"This week they have talked a lot. I think the same as what I said before, I don’t like getting into this kind of thing. We don’t need to distract from the key issue. Everyone knows what has happened in the last 23 years in Spanish football, here is the problem."

He continued:

"The League is not adulterated, Spanish football has had a problem. Now the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office and the police are carrying out the investigation and now we have to wait. We must not distract from the key issue."

When asked about Xavi's specific comments, the Real Madrid manager chose not to keep his thoughts to himself:

"I would prefer not to respond to that. I don’t want to reveal my personal thoughts on that."

Real Madrid received a penalty and Vinicius' goal was given after respective VAR checks. Moreover, Almeria had a goal disallowed due to a foul in the buildup after a VAR check.

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Barcelona continue to deal with Negreira case, amidst Real Madrid VAR controversy

According to SPORT (via Football Espana), an update on the Negreira scandal has indicated that Barcelona might not be charged with sporting corruption.

A leaked court document from Judge Joaquin Aguirre has reportedly revealed that the investigation into sporting corruption is being dropped due to insufficient evidence. The judge found no proof that Barcelona benefited on the field from paying money to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. The latter was the former Vice President of the Referees Committee.

Notably, Barcelona paid over €7.5 million across 17 years, and the focus has now shifted to possible financial crimes. The Catalan giants are not yet in the clear as they could still face tax fraud charges. There will be concerns if it is found that the funds were illegally taken from the club, and aside from this, a bribery charge is pending.