The Blaugrana club is in crisis over the Negreira case: serious penalties are being considered, including exclusion from European competitions and the dissolution of the club.
September 28, 2023 – Barcelona is facing a serious situation due to the “Negreira case.” The police conducted searches at the Spanish Football Federation and the headquarters of the referees’ body. The Catalan club has been accused of making substantial payments, totaling around 7.5 million euros, between 2001 and 2018, to former referee and vice-president of the Spanish refereeing body, José María Enriquez Negreira.
Currently, Joaquín Aguirre, the investigating judge at Court Number 1 in Barcelona, is leading the investigation. He has issued an order against the club and former presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep María Bartomeu, stating that the payments made “served the interests of the club,” producing “the desired refereeing effects for Barcelona, with a disparity of treatment compared to other teams.”
According to Aguirre, the offense is not only a sports-related matter but also a criminal one. The judge has recently modified the charge from “corruption of individuals” to “corruption of authorities or public officials” since, at the time of the events, the Spanish Football Federation, from which the Technical Refereeing Committee was dependent and of which Negreira was vice-president, “carried out public functions,” thereby aggravating the potential penalties.
According to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, the Catalan club could face bankruptcy if convicted, as “as a legal entity, it should be punished with a fine ranging between three to five times the profit obtained, which should be calculated based on the profits made from titles won in the 18 years of allegedly manipulated competitions.” The judge, according to El Mundo, could also order “the closure of premises, the stadium, suspension of activities, ban from competitions, and even dissolution” of the club.
As for sports competitions, UEFA, in its official statement, has decided to admit Barcelona provisionally to the upcoming Champions League edition, while for La Liga, the case has expired since the last Discalia report dates back to 2018, and according to Article 112, “more serious infractions are prescribed after three years.”
By Chiara Arsieni
BOCCONI STUDENTS FOR SPORT MANAGEMENT 
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