Prosecutors have filed corruption charges against Spanish club Barcelona over allegations they paid huge sums to a former referee. The judge will take a final decision on whether to proceed with the case after hearing the arguments of the defense.
It was recently reported that the club had repeatedly transferred large sums of money to an organization owned by José María Enriquez Negrerueta, the former vice-president of the Spanish Referee Committee. The prosecution alleges that the money was exchanged to influence the outcome of the competition. Charges have been brought against Barca and the two former presidents of the club. It is alleged that between 2001-2018, about 63 crore rupees were transferred. Jose Maria was the head of the Spanish Football Association from 1993 to 2018.
Under the non-disclosure agreement, the prosecution alleges that Negrera’s refereeing decisions on matches and results favored Barca and that he was paid for this. A senior Barca official said the complaint was expected. This is only the initial investigative theory of the prosecutors. The allegations are baseless. The club will fully cooperate with the investigation. He clarified that they have never bought any referee and never tried to influence their decisions.