Spanish prosecutors have filed corruption charges against Barcelona and two of their former presidents over alleged payments to a company owned by former referee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. Media reports state Barca made over EUR7 million in payments to this business entity.
Prosecutors claim the club paid Enriquez Negreira's company Dasnil 95, based in Spain, to compile reports about referees for coaches. These reports cover topics such as physical appearance and demeanor of referees as well as how they react when officiating matches. These reports were often delivered verbally but also audiovisually through methods such as video conference.
Reporting referee payments is a standard practice among professional clubs, and Barcelona's coaching staff said that this helped them better comprehend referees' role. Nonetheless, the size of these reported payments raises serious concern.
Barcelona have denied any wrongdoing and insist the payments were for reports and information about referees, not for purchasing them. Nevertheless, the size of these alleged payments, and how they came to light, has raised many questions in the world of football.
La Liga's governing body does not have the power to take action on this matter due to a statute of limitations for prosecuting wrongdoing; however, UEFA and FIFA could step in if they deem it necessary.
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Prosecutors contend there is evidence of a longstanding corruption relationship between Barcelona and Negreira, who served as vice-president of the refereeing technical committee for 17 years. According to an investigation by Spanish tax authorities, Negreira received nearly EUR7 million by Barcelona for "actions tending to benefit" the club in relation to refereeing decisions.
Joan Laporta, the club's current president, is not facing charges from prosecutors but has promised to launch an internal investigation into any allegations of corruption. In a statement, Laporta said:
This isn't the first time Barca have been accused of corruption or breach of trust. Earlier this year, it was revealed that they had paid an "external technical consultant" to compile reports on referees.
Xavi, who led Barcelona to eight La Liga titles during his playing career, claimed that he never received payment for refereeing matches and that he wasn't aware of any club advantage in match outcomes. If this were true, Xavi said he would have resigned immediately.
In spite of the Catalan club's denial, 18 out of the 20 La Liga clubs have expressed 'deep concern' over the allegations and Laporta has promised to launch an internal investigation into them. Meanwhile, La Liga chief Javier Tebas has demanded current president Joan Laporta resign if unable to explain payments made and has threatened legal action against the club unless she can provide answers.
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