Barcelona face UEFA Champions League ban after latest scandal - Reports
Reports suggest that Barcelona are facing the looming threat of expulsion from the Champions League by UEFA in the upcoming 2023-24 season. This is allegedly due to payments made to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former Vice President of the Technical Committee of Referees in Spain.
According to SPORT (via Goal), UEFA has contacted the Spanish Football Federation for information regarding the Negreira case and is closely monitoring its progress. Due to this, there are reportedly increasing concerns at Camp Nou about the potential punishment that could impact their future participation in European competitions.
Expert lawyer Felipe Izquierdo: "The prosecutor's office has zero evidence of Barcelona 'buying referees.'" https://t.co/6pJ0emDrmc
UEFA's regulations state that a club may face punishment if they engage in activities that influence or manipulate the outcome of a match at a national or international level. In this case, the punishment may be limited to only one football season.
Real Madrid have called a board meeting for Sunday to discuss alleged attempts by Barcelona to influence referees, the club said. https://t.co/joBR4IrQ7c
UEFA could potentially rely on the decision of a sports body, arbitrator, or court if Barcelona are found guilty of corruption charges filed by the Prosecutor's Office in Spain. Although UEFA is not obligated to do so, it could prove significant for the club's future if found guilty.
Currently, Barcelona are said to be worried about potential repercussions from UEFA for supporting the formation of the European Super League. With the corruption charges included, this could potentially lead to them being barred from participating in the Champions League for the 2023-24 season.
How much did Barcelona allegedly pay to Negreira?
According to SPORT, the news of the payments made to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira was first reported by the Catalan radio program Que t'hi jugues in February. These payments were made through Negreira's Dasnil 95 company and allegedly totaled around €1.4 million ($1.5 million) from 2016 to 2018.
However, according to El Mundo, the payments allegedly amounted to almost €7 million ($7.5 million) from 2001 to 2018, including during Joan Laporta's first tenure as president from 2003 to 2010.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has spoken about the affair, revealing that the league will sit aside and watch how things unfold (via Football Espana):
"We will respect the investigation that the Prosecutor’s Office is going to do. If it decides to file the appropriate complaint, we will have to appear as a private accusation."
However, Barcelona will not be concerned about getting sanctions from La Liga, with Tebas saying:
"However, it is not possible that [FC Barcelona can be punished], since between 2018 and 2023 five years have passed and this type of sanction expires after three years."