Last month, it was announced that UEFA had begun an investigation into Barcelona’s part in Caso Negreira, which centres around the club’s alleged relationship with Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, who was previously Vice President of the Referee’s Committee in Spain.
UEFA’s investigation comes after the Prosecutor’s Office opened a case against Barcelona over alleged “continuous sporting corruption”, which remains ongoing at present.
Barcelona have maintained their innocence amid the accusations levelled at them, and they remain confident of being proven innocent. President Joan Laporta is keen for the club to avoid any sanctions, and he has made that clear to both UEFA and FIFA, as per MD.
Laporta is reported to have sent a letter to both governing bodies on Wednesday, in which he asked them to hold off on any possible sanctions until the outcome of the Prosecutor’s Office’s investigation.
The news comes amid reports that UEFA will rule on the situation by the end of June, so that possible action can be taken before the beginning of the new season. Their President, Aleksander Ceferin, recently called the matter “extremely serious”.
Barcelona are expected to hold a press conference in the coming weeks, in which they will give their version of Caso Negreira. In the meantime, speculation over the situation continues to build by the day.
“President Joan Laporta is keen for the club to avoid any sanctions, and he has made that clear to both UEFA and FIFA, as per MD.”
Maybe he shouldn’t have been paying millions to refs? Now it’s sort of late to be regretful.