Barcelona are facing charges relating to alleged payments to a former vice-president of the Spanish referees’ committee
Barcelona and two of the club’s former presidents are facing corruption charges over alleged payments to a former vice-president of Spain’s referees’ committee.
Spanish prosecutors have filed a complaint after it was reported last month that between 2001 and 2018 Barcelona paid more than 7million euros (£6.2million) to companies owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, who was vice-president of the Spanish FA’s refereeing committee from 1993 to 2018.
In a statement reported by local media, the public prosecutor’s office said: “Through presidents (Sandro) Rosell and (Jose Maria) Bartomeu, Barcelona reached and maintained a strictly confidential verbal agreement with the defendant Negreira, so that, in his capacity as vice president of the refereeing committee and in exchange for money, he would carry out actions aimed at favouring Barcelona in the decision making of the referees in the matches played by the club, and thus in the results of the competitions.”
The focus of the case is on payments made between 2014 and 2018.
Rosell served as president from 2010 to 2014, with Bartomeu replacing him and remaining in the post until 2020. Former club executives Oscar Grau and Albert Soler, were listed among the defendents in the case.
