According to media reports, the Spanish public prosecutor wants to accuse FC Barcelona in the referee affair. The accusation: corruption and fraud.
The Madrid daily newspapers El Pais and El Mundo reported on Tuesday (March 7th, 2023) with reference to judicial sources that the lawsuit is directed against the club as a legal entity, against former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, members of its management teams and against former referee official Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.
The background is the millions in payments that FC Barcelona transferred to Negreira. According to media reports, 6.6 million euros flowed between 1994 and 2018. Negreira said his company Dasniel 95 S had verbally advised the club on how players should behave towards certain referees. FC Barcelona argued that such advisory services are normal for big clubs.
Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira – a man of influence
However, Negreira was vice-president of the Referees Committee at the Spanish Football Federation at the time of the payments. Also given the hefty sums, speculation ensued as to whether Negreira could have used his influence in Barcelona’s favour. The Referees Committee, of which he was vice-president, decides, among other things, on the promotion and relegation of the referees.
Fittingly, then-Barca president Bartomeu stopped the payments in 2018 – the same year Negreira left the association. Negreira then threatened the club in a fax that irregularities would be made public if he were not to continue to be paid.
Events are statute-barred under sports law
Barcelona hardly has to fear judicial consequences because, according to La Liga boss Javier Tebas, the incidents are time-barred.
Criminal law, on the other hand, is getting serious, because in 2010 the criminal offense “corruption in business life” came into force in Spain. This is now the basis for the charge that all payments made since 2010 could become relevant. The investigation has been going on for almost a year.
In addition, VAR referee Javier Estrada Fernandez filed criminal charges against Negreira and his son in February – for possible corruption and abuse of office.