Barcelona will not suffer from sporting sanctions as a result of any investigations from El Caso Negreira, but they could still face consequences from the public prosecutor. At least domestically, UEFA may choose to investigate the matter and could ban Barcelona from European football.
Due to a statute of limitations of three years, La Liga President Javier Tebas has confirmed that they will face points deductions or possible relegation. Details were leaked earlier of payments between Barcelona and Dansil 95, the company run by Enriquez Negreira, over a period of 17 years for an amount totalling €6.7m. Negreira was Vice-President of the Technical Committee of Referees during that period, and the work supposedly centred around scouting reports and advice on how to deal with referees.
This was discovered as part of a tax investigation into Enriquez Negreira, and Spanish Justice could still pursue Barcelona through criminal proceedings. If they find evidence of attempts to influence results, it could lead to a charge of corruption between individuals, carrying a sentence of six months to four years for the Barcelona directors and presidents involved, as per Diario AS.
Alternatively, if they are found guilty of disloyal administration – paying for non-existent services – the same entities could face a sentence of up to three years.
Currently Negreira has denied anything of the sort. The fact there is no evidence of his advice on referees he attributes down to his service always being given in verbal form.
As some have remarked in Barcelona, in many senses, the damage is already done. The reputation and image of Barcelona have taken a major hit with these revelations, and it could hurt their ability to grow and attract investors, the latter being particularly pertinent given their current financial struggles.
