Barcelona are in deep trouble and it may not end well for the Spanish Giants. The club are charged with allegedly paying Vice-President of Spanish’s football refereeing committee Jose Negreia between 2016-2018. Despite Negreia denying any favoritism towards Barcelona, the club will be prosecuted for corruption Negreia is also facing charges for the corruption, which is also being investigated.
Barcelona President John Laporta recorded a video confirming that the payments given to Nigreia were for him to work as an advisor for the club, and that there was no foul play involved, reports the Athletic. According to him, “Barca have never bought referees nor influence. That was never the intention and that has to be clear. The facts contradict those that are trying to tell a different story.”
The team has also come out with a statement claiming they had no wrongdoing in the scandal. Current head coach and former player Xavi responded to the allegations saying:
“I try to focus on football, but this club has these kinds of stories too. I’ve been told we have done a public statement, and I follow what the club says. I think it has happened in years I was not involved with the club. But I will always defend the institution. We always analyse referees from an internal perspective.”
Barcelona could also face some repercussions if they are found guilty, including being kicked out of the UEFA Champions League. However, according to La Liga Chief Javier Tebas, there will be no sanctions to the club in Spain since the incident occurred over three years ago. However, the league can open a case if they are charges by the court of law, according to Bleacher Report.
These allegations have not been sitting well with their rival teams, especially Real Madrid. They believe that the club is to be punished for the deep trouble they are in. After a meeting with the Board of Directors, the club have announced that they will appear in court to testify against the opposition regarding the matter of “corruption in sports.”
This is not the first time that Barcelona have been in deep trouble. Last summer, the club lost over 487 million euros. They sold over 700 million of their club assets to make up for this loss.
Nobody has been charged yet, however the matter will go to court in the future with the club in deep trouble despite being on its way to their 27th La Liga title.
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