Barcelona charged with corruption over referee scandal

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 10 Mar 2023 19:45 GMT
• 3 min read

Barcelona face charges of corruption over payments made to the former vice-president of Spain's referee committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.

The scandal erupted last month when it emerged that Barca had paid Negreira a total of €8.4 million between 2001 and 2018.

On Friday, a court in Barcelona heard that several former officials at the club plus Negreira had been indicted for "corruption", "breach of trust" and "false business records".

PREVIOUSLY: Barcelona risk relegation as referee scandal erupts in Spain

Barcelona face heavy penalties if they are found guilty of these offences, with the possibility of relegation from La Liga not off the table.

News initially broke via AS and SER Catalunya in mid-February of the charges, with three payments of over €1.3m made annual in 2016, 2017 and 2018 to Negreira via a company he owned called DASNIL 95.

Barcelona's 10 best transfers of all time

He was reportedly paid the money to ensure "everything was neutral".

Negreira and his son testified before the Prosecutor's Office that Barcelona did not receive any preferential treatment from referees. Indeed, Negreira claims that the money was paid for advisory work to help Barca's players how best to cope with each referee.

Meanwhile, Barcelona president Joan Laporta issued a firm denial of the charges on Tuesday.

"Let it be clear Barca have never bought referees and Barca have never had the intention of buying referees, absolutely never," he said.

Barcelona deny the charges

Barcelona released a statement denying any wrongdoing and warning that they would take legal action against any party seeking to spoil their reputation.

La Liga president Javier Tebas, meanwhile, has claimed that current president Joan Laporta should stand down if he cannot explain the payments.

This prompted a spikey response from the Barcelona supremo.

"Some had already warned us that it seemed Tebas was pushing a reputational campaign against Bara and against me," Laporta said.

"The mask has come off. He continues with his obsession with Barca, with his fear of our club.

"His intention is to control Barca from a distance, which is what he has been doing in recent years."

Barcelona are presently nine points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.