Barcelona president Laporta meets former Real Madrid candidate before El Clasico

Barcelona president Joan Laporta met Enrique Riquelme, the former candidate for the Real Madrid presidency, during a traditional lunch held ahead of Sunday's El Clasico in La Liga.

According to OK Diario, the meeting took place at the annual luncheon organized by Catalan businessman Luis Conde, just hours before the highly anticipated match at Camp Nou. The event was attended by prominent figures from political, economic, and social circles in Catalonia and other parts of Spain.

The meeting comes amid reports that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez might miss the El Clasico due to ongoing tensions with Laporta and his Catalan counterpart.

Riquelme had previously criticized Perez's policies during his campaign for the Real Madrid presidency, before ultimately losing to the current president.

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The lunch also saw the attendance of former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell, who exchanged greetings with Laporta, according to the same source.