Barça, formally accused of paying millions for referee favoritism

The Barcelona Prosecutor's Office formally accused FC Barcelona of corruption for alleged million-dollar payments to a company that belonged to the vice president of the Spanish referees' commission, José María Enríquez

, "to favor the team in the decision-making of the referees."

The accusation, officially presented on Friday, also includes two former Barça presidents,

(2010-2014) and

(2014-2020).

The Prosecutor's Office assures that the team made million-dollar payments to a company that belongs to Negreira, who was vice president of the Technical Arbitration Committee (CTA) between 1994 and 2018, and who decided on the promotions and relegations of the referees.

The objective of the payments, says the complaint, was for him to "carry out

in the matches that the club played, and thus in the results of the competitions."

The accusation was presented before the Court of Instruction number 1 of the Ciudad Condal.

FC Barcelona denies the accusations.

Barcelona players protest referee Munuera Montero during a Copa del Rey match against Real Madrid on March 2, 2023.NurPhoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images

The scandal that has rocked the world of soccer broke out a few weeks ago after it became known that tax officials investigated payments of 1.4 million euros (1.5 million dollars) from Barcelona between 2016 and 2018 to a company belonging to Negreira. .

The Prosecutor's Office now accuses Barça, as a legal entity, of a continuous crime of corruption in business in the sports field.

The two former presidents mentioned above are also accused of business corruption, in addition to unfair administration and false documents.

A “strictly confidential verbal agreement”

In court documents observed by The Associated Press, prosecutors say

($7.7 million) between 2001 and 2018.

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FC Barcelona, ​​according to the complaint, "reached and maintained a strictly confidential verbal agreement" with Negreira, whose purpose was to alter the competition in favor of the club, reports El País.

These payments represent "a real remuneration not provided for in the Club's statutes or approved by the General Assembly, for which reason it lacked a title to justify it," the complaint indicates.

"In short, these perceptions did not have any legal or statutory support."

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This scenario implies that the payments were made under the management of different presidents, including between 2003 and 2010, the first term of the current club leader, Joan Laporta, who took office again in 2021. However, Laporta is not accused

The complaint is directed against FC Barcelona and against five natural persons.

In addition to Bartomeu, Rosell and Negreira, two other club officials in Bartomeu's time have been denounced: the former executive director Óscar Grau and the former director of professional sports Albert Soler.

Two other former Barça presidents have also been summoned as witnesses, since payments would have been made under their mandates: Joan Gaspart (2000-2003) and Joan Laporta (2003-2010).

There is no evidence so far that the payments have actually influenced the referees or the matches.

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The Commission to which Enríquez Negreira belonged assigned referees to the matches, chose the whistlers who worked in the different divisions and selected those who directed international competitions.

Barça won multiple titles during Negreira

Barcelona has insisted that it did not commit any crime

or incur a conflict of interest, assuring that it paid for technical reports on referees, but never tried to influence their decision in matches.

Obtaining referee reports is common practice and clubs can either pay companies or prepare them internally, as Barcelona now does.

However, paying large sums to a person involved in Spain's arbitration management for reports is not normal practice.

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Several former and current referees, including its current president, have denied any influence in favor of Barcelona.

Enríquez Negreira told Cadena SER radio that he never favored the Catalan team when assigning referees for matches.

He emphasized that

to indicate how the players should behave before each whistle.

The scandal threatens to tarnish the golden era of Barcelona, ​​where Lionel Messi and other greats have shone in Spanish soccer.

During the years in which, according to prosecutors, Barcelona made payments to Enríquez Negreira, the club won nine league titles and six Copa del Rey titles.