UEFA is launching an investigation into “possible infringement” of its regulations committed by FC Barcelona, which was charged by the Spanish court with corruption involving the refereeing sector, European football’s governing body announced on Thursday.
“UEFA ethics and disciplinary inspectors have been appointed today to investigate a possible breach of UEFA’s legal framework by FC Barcelona in connection with the so-called ‘Negreira case’,” UEFA said in a statement.
The club, the outstanding leader of the Spanish league, several former managers and the former head of referee José Negreira were charged on March 10 with corruption, breach of trust and falsification of trade records, in a case involving large payments to the former referee.
The Spanish Prosecutor’s Office has lodged a formal complaint with the Barcelona Court of Instruction number 1 against the club, as a legal entity, as well as against former presidents Sandro Rosell (between 2010 and 2014) and Josep Maria Bartomeu (between 2014 and 2020). ).
The Catalans’ current president, Joan Laporta, said the corruption allegations leveled at the club will receive a strong backlash from the current direction, claiming that the Catalans are “victims” of a campaign of destabilization.
The case follows investigations launched by Barcelona’s Public Prosecutor’s Office about a year ago, which reveal that the former head of Spain’s arbitration was paid almost €7m through a company for alleged advice to the club, including over 2001 and 2018. .
This case, in which the Catalan club is constantly charged with corporate corruption, will be merged with another, the result of a complaint filed in recent weeks by the former referee and current video referee Estrada Fernández against Negreira and the company Dasnil 95 , because of sporting corruption.
Alleged tax irregularities perpetrated by Negreira’s company exposed in May 2022 the payments received by the former vice president of the Technical Commission of Arbitrators.
According to the Spanish court, Barcelona maintained “a strictly confidential oral agreement” with José Negreira, so that he “carried out actions in exchange for money to favor Barcelona in the decision-making of the referees” in their matches.
Source: DN
