BARCELONA: Spanish prosecutors on Friday charged Barcelona with corruption over bills the membership made to a former vice chairman of Spain’s referees’ committee thru an organization owned through him.
According to the prosecution, the Catalan membership paid a complete of greater than €7.3 million to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, former referee and ex-vice president of the refereeing committee of the Spanish soccer federation between 1994 and 2018.
Two of the membership’s former presidents, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, in addition to Enriquez Negreira, are going through the similar rate, originating from the Barcelona prosecutor’s place of work.
Enriquez Negreira used to be allegedly paid for offering the membership with recommendation on subjects in terms of referees.
“FC Barcelona obtained and maintained a strictly confidential verbal agreement with Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira so that, in his capacity as vice-president of the Technical Arbitral Committee (CTA) and in exchange for money, the latter carries out actions tending to benefit FC Barcelona in decisions by the referees,” defined the Barcelona public prosecutor’s place of work.
The investigation started after Spain’s tax government known irregularities in tax bills made between 2016 and 2018 through the corporate Dasnil 95 — owned through Enriquez Negreira.
Dasnil 95 reportedly won bills from Barcelona between the ones years.
The remaining bill, in line with Cadena Ser radio, used to be issued in June 2018. After that, the CTA used to be restructured and Enriquez Negreira left the organisation.
This week, present Barca boss Joan Laporta insisted his membership had by no means “bought referees”.
Reports declare the Catalan facet paid €6.5 million ($6.9 million) between 2001 and 2018 to Enriquez Negreira’s company.
“Let it be clear Barca have never bought referees and Barca have never had the intention of buying referees, absolutely never,” stated Laporta on Tuesday.
Barcelona says Dasnil 95 used to be paid to advise the membership on refereeing issues. But the prosecutors suspect the cash will have been used to deprave recreation officers.
On the wearing stage, Barcelona face no fast risk since the governing our bodies of Spanish, European and global soccer have a five-year statute of boundaries, Liga president Javier Tebas has stated.
On the legal stage, the accused may just resist 4 years in jail.
Sanctions towards the membership may just vary from ‘suspension of process…to outright dissolution’ as an organization,” Alberto Palomar, professor of law at Carlos III University of Madrid told AFP.
The case has cast a shadow over Spain’s refereeing body, which last week demanded that a single person’s alleged actions not “tarnish” the “symbol” and “honour” of all referees.
“The downside considerations us as it harms Spanish soccer and game,” Spanish Culture and Sports Minister Miquel Iceta stated on Tuesday.
