Earlier this year, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, then the vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees, was the subject of a barrage of unfavourable allegations against the club.
Since then, the so-called “El Caso Negreira” incident has persisted, and the Catalan club is being looked into by the Spanish Prosecutor’s Office on claims of sporting corruption.
Barcelona has defended their innocence throughout the legal process, with Joan Laporta stating that the club had nothing to do with the buying of referees and had only paid Negreira for refereeing reports.
Prosecutors’ verdict on Barcelona
The La Liga champions may well be on course to be vindicated with reports from El Partidazo de Cope that the Prosecutor’s Office has found no evidence of payments to referees.
Instead, the main suspicion appears to revolve around money laundering, which former Barcelona Presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu allegedly could be involved in.
Joan Laporta, the club’s current President, may also be charged by the Civil Guard.
Also reports from The Athletics state Barcelona were also informed that UEFA has finished its investigation into the scandal and came to a conclusion: European football’s governing body recommends they should not be banned from the next edition of the Champions League.
While the club are still waiting for a formal announcement from UEFA to confirm it, it means Barcelona will not face any punishment from UEFA for those payments to Enriquez Negreira.
This news will surely be welcomed by Barcelona, and the club will hope to put the matter behind them as attention turns towards the new La Liga season.
Not playing in the Champions League next season would have been a disaster for the La Liga champions. The income generated by European competition represents an oxygen tank for the ailing club finances, who need any financial help they can get in their present situation.