FC Barcelona could be relegated from La Liga or have points deducted after being accused of bribing former Vice President of the Technical Committee of Referees, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, €1.4 million ($1.5 million) under the reign of previous president Josep Bartomeu. From 1994 through 2018, Negreira worked for the Royal Spanish Football Federation.
FC Barcelona Denies $1.5 Million Referee Payment Allegations, May Face La Liga Relegation
According to the Barcelona Prosecutor’s Office, Barca sent the sum to a company he owned called DASNIL 95 between 2016 and 2018. According to the SER Catalunya radio show Que the judges on Wednesday afternoon, Negreira earned €532,728.02 ($571,000) in 2016, €541,752 ($580,000) in 2017, and ultimately €318,200 ($341,000) in 2018 via DASNIL 95.
Negreira and his son have testified before the prosecutor’s office, denying that Barca ever received preferential treatment based on refereeing decisions. They claim that the money was paid as a result of Negreira’s advising work on how players should act toward referees and recommendations on what they can and cannot do depending on which official was refereeing a particular match.
Negreira, on the other hand, has reportedly been unable to produce any documentation proving he provided these services for FC Barcelona. The club stated in response to the revelation. It admitted to hiring an ‘external technical consultant.’ Still, it denied any wrongdoing while also lamenting that the news has come at a time when Barcelona is back on top of La Liga by 11 points.
