A Barcelona judge has charged FC Barcelona with bribery in the ongoing ‘Negreira Case.’ FC Barcelona paid around $8 Million over 17 years to former vice-president of the Referee’s Technical Committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. These payments have been deemed a crime by the Barcelona judge.
The judge has charged Barcelona as well as the former Presidents of the club, Sandro Rosell and Josep Bartomeu along with Jose Negreira and his son, Javier Enriquez Romero, for this case.
The case will now be prosecuted as a bribery case. This presents a shift from earlier when prosecutors were accusing the club of corruption in sports, fraudulent management, and falsification of business documents.
🚨 Barcelona have been officially charged with “active bribery” in the Negreira case. ⚖️
(Source: @COPE) pic.twitter.com/zElHDCE4wW
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) September 28, 2023
The judge has investigated the evidence and bribery charges have been issued. Bribery has a more serious penalty in Spanish law, and FC Barcelona will be investigated for these new charges. According to Marca, the club has been informed about the charges, but no arrests are planned as yet.
The online discussion on the subject is all negative against Barcelona. Opposition fans are having a field day in taunting the club and its die-hard supporters.
Comments like “Bribery FC,” & “Corruption FC” were some easy taunts from the fans. Meanwhile, a user suggested a strict punishment for the charges, he wrote, “Strip them from all their titles and investigate their UCLs.”
Messi always traced to one or two frauds
— Adebisi (@bismarkzee1) September 28, 2023
Some fans even dragged Lionel Messi into the mud with the club. One user made a bold statement, “Messi’s whole career based on a lie.” A few others made some taunts pointing out that the Spanish club spent all their funds in bribes, leading to the recent financial difficulties.
UEFA could ban FC Barcelona from Champions League
Another sword that hangs off FC Barcelona regarding this case is from UEFA. The governing body is also investigating the findings of the case to decide whether they should ban the Spanish club from the UEFA competitions.
The Champions League regulations allow UEFA to ban teams from competing in the competition for one season. Only if they are found guilty of match-fixing. Sky Sports reported back in March that they are investigating the club regarding a potential violation of UEFA’s legal framework in the context of this case.
Official: UEFA opens an investigation into the ‘Negreira case’ for Barcelona 🔴 #FCB
“In accordance with Article 31.4. UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors will carry out an investigation into a possible violation of UEFA’s legal framework”. pic.twitter.com/3JxChKvJ0c
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 23, 2023
No evidence has yet been gathered to implicit the club that referees or individual games were influenced due to these payments, however, UEFA will also keep an eye on the proceedings of the case in light of these new charges.
Relevo reports that the public prosecution now needs to prove that Enriquez Negreira was influenced by these payments to make an unjust decision in favor of the Spanish club. The current president of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, has denied all the charges and claimed it is an attempt to tarnish the image of the club.
Any new evidence that can prove manipulation of the games at any time during the last 16 years can lead to a one-year ban for FC Barcelona from the UEFA Champions League. It would also force the governing body to open disciplinary proceedings against the club.
