
<p>LaLiga president Javier Tebas has claimed that <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/barcelona-tv-schedule/">Barcelona</a> boss Joan Laporta should resign if he can’t offer a valid explanation over corruption and referee payments. The Spanish club has come under fire for <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/barcelona-unlikely-to-be-sanctioned-for-payments-to-referee-20230216-WST-420103.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">paying a former vice president of the Referees Committee</a> in the country. José María Enríquez Negreira, who was also previously a LaLiga referee, reportedly received over $8.5 million from Barca since 2003.</p>



<p>“If he does not explain what they were paying for, I think he should step down,” Tebas <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/barcelona-espbarcelona/story/4883465/barcelona-president-laporta-should-resign-if-theres-no-explanation-for-referee-scandal-tebas" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a> reporters on Monday.</p>



<p>“He has not offered a reasonable explanation for these payments. In Barca’s statement, it was as if every football club does the same. It is evident they do not. One thing is to have ex-referees [offering advice]; another is to have ex-referees who are on the refereeing committee.”</p>



<p>“[Laporta] will have to explain why, in his first spell as president, he did this. It is something I would like cleared up. It’s not just the three seasons [being investigated by tax office], it’s many more.”</p>



<h5>Club claims payments are common practice among top teams</h5>



<p>Barca <a href="https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/club/news/3065705/fc-barcelona-official-announcement" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">have insisted</a> that these payments were for “technical reports” on referees in Spain. They also suggested that these types of deals are “common practice” and many other clubs pay for similar reports. However, former Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/bartomeu-claims-ex-ref-attempted-to-extort-barca-20230218-WST-420417.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">recently stated</a> that Negreira attempted to extort the club when the payments stopped. The ref threatened to expose his financial relationship with the team to league offices.</p>



<h2>Barcelona president labels LaLiga President obsessed over corruption</h2>



<p>Current Barca boss Joan Laporta has responded to Tebas’s comments regarding his possible resignation. The club president claimed that Tebas is obsessed with Barca. “Mr. Tebas has come to the fore again,” Laporta <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/barcelona-espbarcelona/story/4883465/barcelona-president-laporta-should-resign-if-theres-no-explanation-for-referee-scandal-tebas">said</a> on Tuesday. “We had been warned that he is promoting a campaign against Barca and against me as a person… now the mask has come off.”</p>



<p>“His obsession with Barca continues. I want to remind you that he is someone that has shown throughout his career that he is anti-Barcelona. In 2005, he didn’t want Messi to play for Barca and fought [his registration], for example.”</p>



<p>“He has not forgiven us for not signing the agreement with CVC, when we signed much better agreements for the club. He also can’t stand the Super League.”</p>



<p>“Mr. Tebas has now said that I should step down. His intention is to control Barca from afar. He is always trying to destabilize us. What do I say to him? That I won’t give him the pleasure. Barcelona is owned by the members.”</p>



<p>Barca will not be facing any significant sporting sanctions by <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/la-liga-tv-schedule/">LaLiga</a> for the payments. Sporting statute of limitations inside Spain is currently just three years and the payments go back at least five years.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Marca</em></p>


LaLiga president Javier Tebas has suggested that Barcelona boss Joan Laporta should resign from the club over referee corruption claims.

LaLiga boss calls for Barcelona president to quit over corruption


<p>A Spanish court acquitted Neymar of potential fraud and corruption charges. Previously, the Brazil and PSG star <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/neymar-faces-possible-prison-sentence-on-corruption-fraud-charges-20221014-WST-404538.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">faced</a> hefty fines and even a possible prison sentence in the case. </p>



<p>Along with the player, the court acquitted all defendants, as well. This included <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/barcelona-tv-schedule/">Barcelona</a> presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, ex-Santos president Odilio Rodrigues as well as Neymar’s parents.</p>



<p>The crux of the case revolved around Neymar’s 2013 move from Santos to Barcelona. Investment firm DIS accused the player, his father, and Barca of essentially hiding the real cost of the transfer fee. This would have meant that the defendants were trying not to pay DIS the correct amount of money. The firm previously had a partial ownership in Neymar’s player rights.</p>



<h2>DIS does not prove Neymar committed fraud or corruption</h2>



<p>Nevertheless, the court disagreed with the plaintiff. According to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-soccer-fc-barcelona-santos-fraud-42853bda0c153f221d1390462fdb3028" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Associated Press</a>, the Spanish court issued a statement saying that DIS failed to prove their point. “It has not been proven that there was a false contract or that DIS was intended to be harmed,” read the official statement.</p>



<p>The decision comes at a time in which Neymar could certainly use some good news. Brazil was recently knocked out of the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/category/world-cup-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2022 World Cup</a> by <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/croatia-national-team-tv-schedule/">Croatia</a>. The epic quarterfinal match ended on penalty kicks. While Neymar scored a goal in the match, Brazil were beaten 4-2 in the shootout.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Leo Perisić, Ivan’s son, running over to console Neymar Jr in tears. 🇧🇷🇭🇷 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Qatar2022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Qatar2022</a><br><br>This video is simply great 🤍🎥 <a href="https://t.co/xJeIn1Rxmv">pic.twitter.com/xJeIn1Rxmv</a></p>— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) <a href="https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1601358668129513472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2022</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<h2>Ronaldo asks Neymar to seek psychological support</h2>



<p>Following the loss, Neymar was seen in tears and even suggested that the game could be his last for Brazil. Legendary Brazil striker Ronaldo claimed that Neymar should be receiving mental health treatment. “I would advise having a psychological support to withstand this pressure, which is extremely disproportionate for human beings,” Ronaldo told Brazilian outlet <a href="https://ge.globo.com/futebol/selecao-brasileira/noticia/2022/12/12/ronaldo-sugere-acompanhamento-psicologico-a-neymar-e-fala-em-pressao-desproporcional.ghtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Globo</a>.</p>



<p>“Neymar will come back with the same passion, with the same desire,” continued Ronaldo. “But I wanted to reinforce this need to monitor the mental health of our players … It is very important for us to address this issue, especially when it comes to the World Cup, where the whole world is looking at the national team. The world was looking at Neymar.”</p>



<p>The star forward will now receive some much-needed time off before heading back to France. PSG play their next <a href="https://www.worldsoccertalk.com/ligue-un-tv-schedule">Ligue 1</a> game on December 28th at home against Strasbourg.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Sports Press Photo</em></p>


Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar was acquitted of fraud and corruption charges by a Spanish court on Tuesday.

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LaLiga boss calls for Barcelona president to quit over corruption

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Neymar acquitted of fraud, corruption charges