FC Barcelona Considers Turning to Asia amid European Ban Threat in Negrera Case

Barcelona is facing a new legal threat from the European Football Association (UEFA), including a possible ban from participating in continental tournaments due to alleged payments to the club of millions of dollars, to a company linked to a Spanish arbitration official.

Court documents show that Barcelona He paid 7.3 million euros ($7.7 million) between 2001 and 2018 to Jose Maria Enriquez Negrera, the former vice-president of the refereeing committee of the Spanish Football Federation.

It is noteworthy that any evidence of match-fixing during the past 16 years could prompt UEFA to exclude Barcelona from its competitions for one year, and to open a disciplinary case.

Orientation towards Asia

According to the local “TV3” station, the Barcelona administration is now conducting a study about the possibility of the team’s participation in tournaments outside the continent of Europe.

One of the possibilities raised is the team’s participation as a “guest” in the Asian championships, which may enter the club with sums to compensate it for European participation.

The administration is also considering the team’s participation in a European domestic league other than the Spanish one, in the event that sanctions are applied to the team by the Spanish League.