In the latest chapter of El Clásico's off-pitch drama, Barcelona have fired back at Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez after his explosive accusations that the club has been "robbed" of seven La Liga titles. The war of words escalated quickly, with Barcelona's interim President Rafa Yuste delivering a sharp response, calling Pérez's statements "pathetic."

Pérez stunned the football world with a lengthy press conference—over an hour long—where he claimed Spanish media had orchestrated a campaign against him and Real Madrid. He also refused to address any internal decision-making errors. But ahead of Barcelona's clash with Alavés, Yuste wasn't holding back. "Florentino's words struck me as pathetic and full of lies," he told reporters. "This maneuver to cover up a sporting disaster that has been going on for two years will get him nowhere."

Yuste, who watched the press conference later, admitted it left him feeling more sad than angry. "It didn't make me laugh or cry. It made me sad. When the president—the club's highest representative—makes statements like that, I consider them pathetic and untrue."

Pérez's tirade also revived the unresolved corruption case against Barcelona, involving payments made to former CTA Vice-President José María Enríquez Negreira. But Yuste dismissed it as a smokescreen. "It's pointless to talk about Negreira again when we've won two league titles with a project featuring La Masia talent and other players brought in. We're winning by 14 points. This is just an attempt to justify poor management."

As for the claim of seven stolen league titles? Yuste didn't mince words. "That's completely false. Objectively speaking, it's not true. He'll know what he's doing, but we're going to defend ourselves. We owe it to our fans and the club. Nobody touches this club."

With Barcelona celebrating back-to-back league titles in one of the most competitive leagues in the world, Yuste made it clear: no amount of off-field noise will diminish their pride. "We are very happy to have won the League and conquered one of the most difficult leagues in the world two years in a row," he said. "But I have to say something."