Barcelona have received a major boost, or perhaps more accurately let out a major sigh of relief, in the knowledge that they will be competing in the Champions League season.
UEFA are currently investigating El Caso Negreira, a series of payments over 17 years to the former Vice-President of the Referees Committee, but so far has not found anything to punish Barcelona with – the intention to influence the outcome of matches would see them sanctioned.
However licences for the Champions League are given on the 15th of May, and according to MD, Barcelona will be granted theirs, with that date a little over two weeks away.
The investigation is still ongoing both in Spain and within UEFA, but the matter looks unlikely to be resolved any time soon. Confirmation of their place in the Champions League next season allows them to plan with the many millions that come from participation in the competition, without which they may have been forced to sell players.
President Joan Laporta recently met with UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, supposedly to reassure him that they had not been involved in any wrongdoing. It is not yet clear whether the two events are related.
