FC Barcelona is still riding out the repercussions of the Negreira case, a scandal that has damaged the club’s image in the eyes of the general public.
The case began when it was discovered that the club had made payments to José María Enríquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the Referees’ Technical Committee, for over 629 technical reports on referees, amounting to approximately €7 million from 2001 to 2018.
These payments were initially explored through a bribery lens.
Still, they were subsequently explained by club president Joan Laporta as legitimate services, since receiving detailed analyses on officials is standard in football.
Although the club returned an indictment for acts of bribery in May 2024, criminal investigation was ongoing with allegations of administration of sports corruption that sparked criminal proceedings against the club were still alive.
In a significant development, a Barcelona court has summoned Laporta along with former managers Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde to testify as witnesses concerning the investigation, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.
The presiding judge, Alejandra Gil, said their testimonies were necessary to assist in understanding the context of the club’s payments and the purpose of Negreira’s reports.
Both Luis Enrique, who coached from 2014 to 2017, and Valverde, who coached from 2017 to 2020, are expected to clarify if the information included in the reports influenced their tactical decisions.
The prosecution sees their testimony as paramount in understanding the extent of the club’s dealings and working relationship with Negreira.
The ongoing case, which has also attracted the attention of UEFA and competitors such as Real Madrid, is still in its evidence-gathering phase, and as of September 2024, no concrete evidence of match manipulation has been found.
Laporta has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and continues to maintain that the club has acted appropriately, portraying the investigation as a problem of Barcelona’s own success.
As the investigation drags on into the year 2025, the outcomes will depend on the testimony given by Laporta, Enrique, and Valverde, who will likely have sporting and financial implications for the club when the case is complete.
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