Jakarta –
UEFA intervened to investigate the payment case that Barcelona made to the former vice president of the Spanish Referees Committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. The threat of banning from appearing in the Champions League now awaits the Catalan giants.
In its official statement, this investigation was carried out by UEFA to check whether there was a potential violation that touched the realm of UEFA related to the payment made by Barcelona to Negreira.
Prosecutors in Spain accused Barcelona of corruption, fraudulent management and falsification of business documents. The judge will decide whether there will be a penalty that awaits Barcelona.
Sky Sports reported, if Barcelona is proven to have fixed the score, UEFA has the right to ban them from appearing in the Champions League for one season. This rule has been in effect since 2007.
Barcelona are known to have paid 7.3 million Euros to a company owned by Negreira between 2001 and 2018. They are adamant that the fee was only for consulting services and not to influence the outcome of the game.
President Joan Laporta even accused this case of appearing only to tarnish Barcelona, and he was determined to clear the club’s good name. So far, there has been no release regarding evidence that has cornered Barcelona.
If they are banned from playing in the Champions League, Barcelona will obviously lose significant income. Even though they are currently leading the Spanish League standings this season with a 12 point advantage over Real Madrid and are almost certain to qualify for Europe’s most elite tournament next season.
(adp/raw)
