Real Madrid express 'utmost concern' over Barcelona corruption charges

Real Madrid have expressed their 'concern' regarding corruption allegations levelled at Barcelona after inspecting the accusations during a board of directors meeting.

Los Blancos' El Clasico rivals Barcelona have been charged with 'sporting corruption' after it emerged that the club had allegedly made payments to former vice-president of Spain's refereeing commitee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.

The payments of €7m allegedly came between 2001 and 2018 for reports and videos regarding how to behave in front of certain referees.

Having called a board of directors meeting to inspect the allegations, Real Madrid have now released a statement confirming that, if/when a trial occurs the club will appear as one of the 'affected parties'.

"In their meeting held today, the Real Madrid C. F. Board of Directors have inspected the serious accusations brought by the Barcelona Prosecution Service against F. C. Barcelona, two of its former presidents, Josep María Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, and executives Albert Soler and Óscar Grau, on the basis of alleged offenses of corruption in sports, among others, all related to the relationship the club maintained with the former Vice-President of the Technical Referees' Committee (CTA), José María Enríquez Negreira," the statement read.

"Real Madrid wishes to express its utmost concern regarding the gravity of the facts and reiterates its confidence in the legal system. The club has agreed that, in defence of its legitimate rights, it will appear at the trial when the judge opens it up to the affected parties."