Barcelona charged by Spanish prosecutors over Negreira scandal
By Sean Walsh
Barcelona have been charged with 'continued sporting corruption' in regard to payments made to the former vice-president of Spain's refereeing committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.
The Negreira scandal came to light earlier in 2023 with Barcelona accused of paying the ex-referee for information on how to receive favourable calls from match officials.
Negreira and his company are alleged to have received roughly €7m from Barcelona between 2001 and 2018 for reports and videos regarding referees.
Spanish prosecutors confirmed on Friday that Barcelona, as well as former club presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, have been charged. They further claim that Barça's payments were also in hope of receiving favourable refereeing decisions.
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A statement read: "Through presidents Rosell and Bartomeu, Barcelona reached and maintained a strictly confidential verbal agreement with the defendant Negreira, so that, in his capacity as vice-president of the refereeing committee and in exchange for money, he would carry out actions aimed at favouring Barcelona in the decision making of the referees in the matches played by the club, and thus in the results of the competitions."
Current Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who also served between 2004 and 2010, denied that the club are guilty of these accusations earlier this week.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has already confirmed Barcelona will not face sporting sanctions as these charges are beyond the three-year threshold in which a punishment can be upheld, though could revisit the case once the legal case has concluded.