UEFA open investigation into Barcelona corruption charges
UEFA have announced an investigation into corruptions charges levelled at Barcelona regarding their connection with 'Caso Negreira'.
Barcelona have been charged with 'sporting corruption' after it emerged the club had allegedly made payments to former vice-president of Spain's refereeing committee, 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.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has denied any wrongdoing, but the charges do accuse former club presidents of Sandro Rosell and Josep Bartomeu of having an arrangement with Negreira.
Spanish courts agreed to explore the allegations after prosecutors filed charges. Now, UEFA have also announced their intentions to investigate Barcelona.
Their statement reads: "In accordance with Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors have today been appointed to conduct an investigation regarding a potential violation of UEFA’s legal framework by FC Barcelona in connection with the so-called 'Caso Negreira'."
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Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira on his relationship with Barcelona
Negreira has previously attempted to explain the relation with Barca, stating: "FC Barcelona considered that the team was harmed and other teams were favoured. This is a personal hypothesis, nobody has told me directly.
"My obligation was to give my opinion about the matches in terms of arbitration and the players. Technical advice. What FC Barcelona wanted was to make sure that no decisions were made against the club, that everything was neutral."