El Caso Negreira has been inescapable over the last two months, with continual revelations coming to light over Barcelona’s alleged relationship with Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, former Vice President of the Referee’s Committee.
Several people indirectly involved in the case have spoken of their experiences of the matter, with the latest being former referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez, who was active from 1995 to 2012.
Speaking to Marca, Iturralde stated his belief that heads should roll over the matter, although he also wanted to take any sort of blame away from the referees themselves.
“The case is the most serious thing that has happened to Spanish football, and one of the most serious worldwide. That a club has paid a Vice President seems very serious to me. How is it going to be resolved? I hope that it will go all the way. Someone has to pay for this.
“This is about a club that wanted to have benefits with a Vice President who has sold them smoke, and that smoke has been bought by millions. However, that money has not ended up with any referee. Enriquez has not had any influence with any referee. This case isn’t about referees.”
Iturralde’s remarks appear to corroborate Barcelona’s perspective of the matter, which is that they never bought referees, which would suit them well in the Prosecutor’s Office’s investigation into El Caso Negreira.
However, Iturralde also appears to suggest that Barcelona were trying to benefit from Negreira, and that they simply didn’t know that he had no influence over the referees. Irrespectively, the situation will likely keep rolling on.
The famous bribELonaphile ittur.dalde has with tooth and claw fought for bribELona since this scandal started.
Who knows, when some people start to sing, he is nervous that skeletons will be uncovered from his closet too.