UEFA have reportedly found indications that Barcelona tried to influence football matches while paying former Vice-President of the Referees Committee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira between 2001 and 2018.
The payments totalled around €7m, with Barcelona claiming that they were for scouting reports, rather than influence. The Anti-Corruption department in Spain are investigating the matter, but UEFA are conducting their own investigation too.
As per ABC (via Marca), the two lawyers carrying out that investigation Mirjam Koller and Jean-Samuel Leuba, have found indications that they tried to do so. They will present their evidence to the UEFA Ethics Committee, which will then decide punishment – in all likelihood, that would involve a ban from European competition.
However MD contradict this report, and say that the investigation is yet to come to any conclusions, with 11 days remaining before they will submit their report.
Barcelona President Joan Laporta has denied all wrongdoing, and says that they will fight to clear their name. If UEFA do hand out punishment, it is likely that Barcelona will appeal the decision, with the Blaugrana previously asking the European body to wait until the Spanish legal system resolved the matter. Laporta met with UEFA President Aleksanfer Ceferin last month, and the noises come from Barcelona-based media were positive about that meeting.
Image via LaPresse via ZUMA Press
