2023-04-17 13:40:00
FC Barcelona has been in turmoil since the revelation in early February by the Spanish media of suspicious money payments made to companies owned by the former No.2 in Spanish arbitration, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. These revelations led the Spanish courts to indict the Catalan club and its former presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu (2014-2020) and Sandro Rosell (2010-2014) in mid-March for “corruption between individuals in the sports sector”, “breach of trust ” and “false in trade records”.
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Real have always been favored
According to the prosecution, the Catalan club would have paid more than 7.3 million euros to Mr. Negreira between 2001 and 2018, in exchange for advice on arbitration matters. These payments would have been interrupted when Mr. Negreira left his post in the Spanish Technical Arbitral Committee (CTA). Barca”entered into and maintained a strictly confidential verbal agreement” avec Negreira “so that in his capacity as vice-president of the CTA and in exchange for money, he carries out actions tending to favor the FCB (…) and therefore in the results of the competitions“, assured the prosecution in a court document.
Charges dismissed Monday by Joan Laporta, for whom the prosecution “was unable to demonstrate that the payments made to the companies“owned by Mr. Negreira”may have influenced the referees or the outcome of any match“. “They could not demonstrate it because it was not possible“, insisted the president of Barça, assuring that the services for which the club made payments were legal and documented. “There was no corruption offense“, he insisted. Before attacking Real Madrid.
“I want to refer to the presence of a club (Real Madrid), on its own, as a private charge in the trial. A club that has always been favored by refereeing decisionshe cursed. He was seen as the regime’s team. Because of their proximity to political and economic power, I think it is worth remembering that for seven decades most of the presidents of the CTA (refereeing committee) have been ex-members, ex-players or ex-Real Madrid managers.”
The president of FC Barcelona said he relied on the conclusions of an internal investigation, entrusted to the firm KPMG, according to which “no action of a criminal nature and linked to the offense of sports corruption has been identified“. According to this report, payments have been made for “sports advisory services, advice on recruitment and arbitration, which are common in professional sports“, and depended on the number of competitions that were analyzed, added Mr. Laporta.
There was no corruption offense
“There was no corruption offense“, he insisted, without excluding that people outside the club could have taken advantage of this situation”to behave irregularly“, more “for their benefit” and not to that of the club. Denouncing a “orchestrated campaign to destroy the reputation of FC Barcelona“, Mr. Laporta specified that he had instituted proceedings”against those who have damaged the honor of the club“, openly criticizing Real Madrid and LaLiga president Javier Tebas, who has repeatedly demanded explanations about the matter.
“I would like the president of LaLiga to contain this verbal incontinence“, attacked Mr. Laporta, saying he was also convinced that Barça would not be sanctioned by UEFA, which opened an investigation into a “possible violation of the legal framework“by the Catalan club.”I am convinced that this will not happen, it would be an unprecedented event and with a club of the level of FC Barcelona“, he said, ruling out any risk for his club of being excluded from the Champions League.
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