How far will the Negreira affair go back?
On March 10, the Spanish courts indicted FC Barcelona for "
corruption
", "
breach of trust
" and "
false business records
".
This amid suspicious money payments from Barca to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, former vice-president of the Spanish referees, who are also being prosecuted.
On March 23, UEFA in turn opened an investigation, suspecting "
a possible violation of the legal framework
" of UEFA, said the body.
If this is the case, an exclusion of Barça from all European competitions cannot be ruled out.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin spoke about the case and its repercussions.
Read alsoFoot: Negreira case, the ex-boss of Spanish referees charged with alleged embezzlement
“
We have an independent disciplinary committee
,” Ceferin first recalled to the Slovenian daily
Ekipa
.
While he "
hasn't dealt with this matter in detail
" and doesn't want to get too wet, Ceferin nevertheless shares: "
As far as I know, the situation is extremely serious.
So serious that it is, in my opinion, one of the most serious in football since I have been involved in it.
»
Ceferin, a 55-year-old former Slovenian lawyer, succeeded Michel Platini as UEFA president in September 2016. The Negreira case concerns payments of several million euros from Barça to companies owned by Negreira.
Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, former presidents of the Catalan club, are also being prosecuted by the Spanish courts.
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