A bribery charge has been brought against Barcelona for purported payments exceeding €7 million ($7.3m) to companies associated with Jose María Enríquez Negreira, the former vice president of the refereeing committee.
Josep María Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, former presidents of Barça, are also facing the same allegations, along with Negreira and his son, Javier Enríquez Romero.
Barcelona had previously been accused of corruption in sports, business, false administration, and falsification of commercial documents.
Furthermore, EFE reported that a police search was conducted at the referees’ office at the Royal Spanish Football Federation [RFEF] in Madrid to gather documentation related to the case.
A complaint filed by prosecutors against Barça, their former presidents, and the Negreiras was initially accepted by a Spanish court in March, marking the commencement of an investigation.
The addition of bribery charges could potentially accelerate a process that began in February when the payments were first disclosed.
In Spain, a bribery offense only necessitates evidence that a public official or authority solicited money or compensation to influence a decision within their jurisdiction.
Between 2001 and 2018, Barça made payments exceeding €7m to Negreira’s companies during his tenure as the vice president of the refereeing committee. Negreira had previously served as a referee in the Spanish top flight.
Barcelona President Joan Laporta has asserted that the payments were for “technical reports about referees” and has refuted any claims of the club “buying referees or influence.”
However, prosecutors have accused Rosell and Bartomeu of having an agreement with Negreira to “undertake actions aimed at favoring Barça in the decision-making of referees in the club’s matches and, consequently, in the results of the competitions.”
Rosell was president of Barca from 2010 to 2014 before being succeeded by Bartomeu. After a six-year tenure at the helm of the Catalan club, Bartomeu resigned in 2020, with Laporta elected as his successor in 2021.
Barcelona’s head coach Xavi Hernandez addressed the matter in a press conference, stating, “You know my opinion. I have never had the feeling that the club has benefited from refereeing. Never. I don’t have time to reflect on much more than that, I’m focused on sporting issues. Next week there will be another Negreira story, in 15 days another and then more a month.”
