Barca cleared of major charge in Negreira case: What it means

Information about suspected ties between Barcelona and the case involving Enriquez Negreira, Spain’s former VP of the Referees Committee, first surfaced about a year ago. After charging the Catalans at the end of 2023, Spanish officials are still looking into the case.

La Guardia Civil, the Spanish Prosecutor’s Office, is investigating the matter. El Mundo has recently stated that La Guardia Civil is concentrating on Barcelona’s performances when it paid Negreira.

The club’s internal procedure that Negreira has relied on for over twenty years for payment is of special interest to the Civil Guard. They are also curious to find out what the club’s official story was at the time.

A larger number of individuals will most certainly be subject to investigation as a result of this new step. Judge Joaquin Aguirre aims to identify the originator of the payment orders with these new procedures.

Additionally, he is curious as to whether or not someone told him to conceal these actions from view in the accounts. He is also curious as to who played a key part in compensating Negreira.

Lack of evidence of corruption?

Even though this dilemma has been going on for a year, Barcelona has always denied any wrongdoing. The situation is far from over in Spain, and it has caused several clubs a great deal of distress.

But the Blaugrana seem to have cleared their name of any wrongdoing in sports corruption. This comes after the investigating magistrate leaked court documents.

According to SPORT’s citation of Cadena Cope, Judge Joaquin Aguirre has decided to close the investigation into sports corruption due to a lack of evidence. According to the transcript, Negreira received almost $8.1 million for 17 years.

But it’s not possible to say for sure that the club profited from the funds. They found no evidence of direct payments after checking the referees’ bank accounts.

Barcelona not yet cleared of all charges in Negreira case

Potential financial crimes are now the focus of Aguirre’s probe. Particularly considering the sum that Negreira himself earned and the total amount that departed the club throughout the years.

This equates to $607,000 when added together throughout the whole duration. According to Aguirre, Barcelona has not yet provided proof of the services they paid him for.

Since the funds could have gone to other parties, Aguirre wants to know where it went. This doesn’t absolve the Camp Nou outfit of any responsibility just yet. They may still face charges of tax fraud or illicitly obtained funds.

Still pending against the team is a bribery allegation, which does not call for evidence of any tangible sports advantage. The case’s outcome may depend on whether Enriquez Negreira is considered a public official. If that question is answered in court, a guilty verdict for Joan Laporta’s side seems certain.

The president of FC Barcelona recently told the Catalan media that Real Madrid is unfairly given an advantage in La Liga. The most recent match, a dubious victory against Almeria, is proof of this, claimed the 61-year-old.

There were three video assistant referee interventions throughout the contest, and Real Madrid were able to capitalize on each one. Within their ranks, the Referees Committee acknowledges that the official made an error in judgment on two occasions.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.