'It's not about playing the victim' - Barcelona president Joan Laporta launches tirade over officiating as he draws controversial Real Madrid comparison

Barcelona have been denied a series of penalty shouts in recent weeks, most recently seeing a late appeal for an apparent foul on Raphinha waved off in their game against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.After that game, Xavi criticised refereeing decisions and Laporta, his outspoken club president, has also made his feelings known.

Speaking at an event in Barcelona, Laporta claimed that Barca have been on the wrong end of decisions in recent weeks: "Throughout this week there has only been talk of nonsense when we should have been talking about the Rayo game and the penalty against Raphinha or the one they also gave to [Robert] Lewandowski."

Laporta also appeared to suggest that the decisions that have gone against Barca are part of a wider competitive advantage given to their rivals: "If this had happened to Madrid, I’m sure there would be talk all week... It is not about playing the victim, it’s a reality. To win we must be much better than our rivals and they make things difficult for us."

Barca find themselves four points behind Madrid and Girona after 14 matches, and in the middle of a poor run. They have dropped points three times since early October, and a negative result or two before the Christmas break could see the Blaugrana fall out of title contention early on.

Laporta has backed coach Xavi to turn the situation around, however, saying: "We live in constant suffering. It’s a fun suffering. I was happy for Xavi, he deserves it. He had to overcome very difficult situations, with injured players."

The Blaugrana face Atletico Madrid on Sunday at home in La Liga. A win will thrust them back into the title race. A loss could see them slip seven points off the top, if results elsewhere don't go their way.