Barcelona FC, along with former club officials and Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, a former vice-president of Spain’s referees’ committee, have been charged with corruption, breach of trust, and false business records.
The charges were brought by the Barcelona public prosecutor’s office in relation to payments made by the club to Negreira and a company he owns, amounting to a reported total of 8.4m euros (£7.4m) between 2001 and 2018.
The charges come after an investigation by tax authorities into Negreira’s company Dasnil 95, which Barcelona had paid a reported 1.4m euros (£1.2m) between 2016 and 2018.
Barcelona acknowledged the payments made to Dasnil 95, describing it as “an external technical consultant” hired to compile video reports related to professional referees, “with the aim of complementing the information required by the coaching staff”.
However, 18 of the 20 La Liga clubs expressed “deep concern” over the situation, and La Liga CEO Javier Tebas called for Barcelona President Joan Laporta to resign if he could not explain the payments. Laporta responded by insisting that Barcelona had “never bought referees”.
The affair has escalated to legal action, with the charges filed against the club, former presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, and Negreira. The charges relate to alleged corruption, breach of trust, and false business records.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that Negreira was a former vice-president of Spain’s referees’ committee. Barcelona coach Xavi has denied knowledge of the payments and stated that he never felt his team had any advantage.
This latest development is a blow to Barcelona, one of the most successful football clubs in the world, which has already been hit by financial difficulties in recent years. The charges will be a source of concern for Barcelona fans and La Liga supporters, who will be watching the outcome of the legal proceedings with interest.
It remains to be seen how the charges will affect Barcelona’s future and reputation, but the club will need to navigate this difficult situation carefully if it hopes to maintain its position as one of the world’s top football clubs.
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