The Investigative Court No. 1 of Barcelona has formally accused FC Barcelona of “active bribery” in connection with the Negreira case. Allegedly, the club bribed former referee chief Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira for information to gain preferential treatment. This information purportedly included written reports and DVDs analyzing officials’ behaviors.
Former presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell acknowledged paying Negreira for “technical advice” to prevent contentious refereeing decisions against Barcelona. The club, however, consistently denies match-fixing and bribery allegations, with current president Joan Laporta considering the Negreira investigation as an attack on Barcelona.
While Spanish police conducted a search on the RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation) as part of the investigation into Barcelona, no arrests were made. The action was carried out in accordance with Judge Joaquin Aguirre’s instructions overseeing the Negreira case.
The Spanish courts have officially attributed the crime of bribery to Barcelona and individuals under investigation. The accusation pertains to a “continuing crime of active bribery” linked to the legal entity of FC Barcelona and its directors.
According to court documents, FC Barcelona had been paying Negreira for referee information over a period of 18 years. The payments increased from an initial €70,000 to €700,000 annually. The club ceased payments when Negreira was no longer the vice president of the CTA (Technical Committee of Referees).
The court highlighted that Negreira, having served as the vice president of the CTA, possessed the status of a public official for criminal purposes. Payments made by FC Barcelona to Negreira or his son were deemed to be influenced by Negreira’s position, suggesting they suited the club’s interests. The court inferred that these payments may have affected arbitration results in Barcelona’s favor, potentially leading to discrimination against other teams and systemic corruption in Spanish arbitration.
FC Barcelona decided to stop payments to Negreira after his dismissal as CTA vice-president in 2018. Subsequently, Negreira sent a threatening letter to the former president of FC Barcelona B, implying knowledge of illegal acts that had favored the team.
Club manager Xavi Hernandez declined to comment on the probe during a press conference, focusing on team performance and strategy.
