Barcelona Negreira Case: Joan Laporta insists that the payments made in the Nagreira Case were intended for consultancy
Joan Laporta, the president of FC Barcelona, stated on Monday that any payments made by the football club to a firm owned by a senior refereeing official were for consultative purposes only and were not intended to acquire an illegal sporting advantage. Laporta said that an internal club inquiry found no misconduct and that the matter was a staged campaign to defame Barcelona.
He accused LaLiga president Javier Tebas of “attempting to harm Barcelona’s reputation.” He also went after their rivals Real Madrid, who have joined the prosecutor’s case against Barcelona, claiming that Real has always been unfairly treated by referees.
Last month, Spanish prosecutors filed a case against Barcelona for payments totaling 7.3 million euros made to companies owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira between 2001 and 2018. From 1993 to 2018, Negreira served as deputy president of the Spanish Football Association’s refereeing committee.
A court in Barcelona has consented to hear the case. UEFA has also launched a formal investigation into the Negreira issue for a possible infringement of the European football governing body’s legal framework.
Laporta stated at a press conference that Barcelona sought technical help from “someone who has had a career in football” in its interactions with Negreira.
“The advice does not constitute any kind of misconduct or criminal offence,” he said.
Standing in front of a box containing 629 technical reports, 43 CDs, and four more reports, Laporta stated that professional advice was given in a transparent manner and that bills registered in Barcelona’s accounting system had passed fiscal reviews.
“The Spanish Tax Department sent a letter to the Prosecutor’s Office saying it could not prove that the payments to companies related to Mr Negreira influenced the result of any match,” he said.
Laporta also urged UEFA to be objective in its examination into Barcelona. LaLiga told Reuters on Monday that it would not comment on Laporta’s allegations.
“The Nergreira case needs to be fully investigated by the proper authorities,” it said.
Tebas stated in March that he had sent the case to UEFA because no punishment could be imposed under Spanish sports legislation because the alleged violations occurred three years ago.
