"They suffered a lot" - Barcelona president breaks silence after getting charged in Negreira case
Barcelona president Joan Laporta put the blame on 'Madridismo' after being charged in the Negreira case.
The statute of limitations in sports and bribery investigations has a timeline of 10 years in Spain. The previous timeline for the Negreira case was between 2013 and 2023, the year the investigation started.
However, Judge Joaquin Aguirre has changed the statute to 10 years from when the last alleged crime occurred, which was in 2018. That change in law means that the investigation is now conducted for a time period that started in 2008. He has been charged in the case as a result.
The Barca president recently appeared for an interview with Catalunya radio and pointed out 'Madridismo' as a strong reason behind La Blaugrana's reputation being tarnished with such serious allegations. He said (quotes via Barca Universal):
“There is a sociological Madridismo in the centres of power. There is a lot of force. I have competed against this sociological Madridismo and I have won. They are afraid that what happened in my first term will happen again. We won a lot and that hurt them a lot. They suffered a lot.”
He added:
"We are used to fighting against this. This Madridismo is in the media, in the world of sport. We have to accept this as normal but as Culés we have to know that we have to compete against this. They are panicking that we will repeat what we have already done, that we will win everything again.”
Barcelona are alleged to have made payments to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, former vice-president of the refereeing committee, between 2001 and 2007. However, the statute for the investigation's timeline has already expired.
La Blaugrana are currently under investigation for 33 installments of alleged payments summing up to €1.6 million made between 2016 and 2018 to a company owned by Negreira.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta remains confident amidst recent controversy
The accusations against Barcelona in the Negreira case were very serious in nature. The La Liga giants' reputation and legacy have been put on the line due to the charges against them.
Joan Laporta now finds himself in hot water as well after being charged in the case. Laporta, though, remains confident of his innocence and reiterated that there is no ground to charge him. Laporta said (via Barca Universal):
“I understand that there are no grounds to charge me. Knowing the history of this judge, I had numbers to end up investigated. But there are no grounds and there is no bribery. There is no continuing offence."
Barcelona are among the most successful clubs of the 21st century in world football. While their on-field football has left fans amazed countless times, if proven guilty in the Negreira case, the club could face losing the credibility of their accomplishments.