Barcelona President,
Barcelona President, Joan Laporta, denied any wrongdoing or attempts to gain a “sporting advantage” on Monday amidst investigations into payments made to a former refereeing chief. Last month, Spanish prosecutors charged the Catalan club with corruption after uncovering payments of over €7.3 million ($7.8 million) to a company owned by a former refereeing chief earlier this year.
Laporta held a press conference at the club’s Camp Nou stadium to address the issue, stating that Barcelona had not committed any crime or attempted to influence referees’ decisions. He confirmed that payments had been made to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, a former referee and ex-vice president of the refereeing committee of the Spanish football federation (CTA) between 1994 and 2018. Laporta explained that these payments were for reports and advice related to refereeing, and Barcelona stopped making payments in 2018 when Negreira left CTA.
Laporta dismissed the allegations against Barcelona as a smear campaign, aimed at destroying the reputation of the Catalan side. He pointed out that the tax office had sent a letter to prosecutors stating that they could not prove that the payments made to Negreira’s companies could have influenced the referees or the outcome of any match.
The scandal was first brought to light by the tax office’s inspection of Negreira’s accounts. However, Laporta reaffirmed Barcelona’s stance that the payments were for legal and documented services, including advice from referees. He stated that there were invoices and payment records in the club’s accounting books, and therefore, there was no crime of corruption.
Laporta emphasized that Barcelona likes to win by playing well and not by influencing referees. The club has argued that the payments made were for legitimate services and has maintained this position despite the charges against them. Two of the club’s former presidents, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, are also facing corruption charges in the same case.
La Liga president, Javier Tebas, has criticized Barcelona and described the case as the worst moment for Spanish football. However, Laporta has previously accused Tebas of “pushing a campaign” against him.
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