Things appear to be heating up in Spain, with several accusations leveled against Barcelona in connection to the Negreira case.
Table of contents
6 El Clasicos in One Season, Is this the 1st Time?
What is the Negreira Case
.
According to SER, Barcelona allegedly paid €7 million to a company owned by former referee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira between 2001 and 2018 in exchange for favorable referee decisions. Negreira was no longer the vice president of the referee committee in 2018, and according to El Mundo, he threatened to expose certain irregularities, if his payments were not resumed. However, nothing of the sort has occurred until now.
Barcelona’s POV
Bartomeu denied the allegations as soon as they were made public. Then Joan Laporta made a statement at a press conference following the same trend. “Barça has never bought referees nor had the intention to”, he said. Laporta further stated that they only hired such a service for “technical reports on referees, which is common”.
.
That was not the only thing Laporta has stated so far. Here’s a list of statements Laporta has provided over the past few days.
via Mundo Deportivo
- “I really want to face the scoundrels who’re trying to stain the club. I’m excited”
- “The fierce attacks aren’t a reality. Be sure that in the board of directors, that I have the honour of presiding over, we will defend the club with everything we can..”
- “These people won’t get it because the captains of Barça represent our values and our feeling & they show just that when they leave their last drop of blood and sweat on the pitch”
via COPE
- “Some people motivated by envy want to destroy our reputation with bad faith campaigns. The feeling at Barcelona doesn’t get dirty and we will defend the club with all our might”
- “We’re a club with values. We use the word ‘values’, not to sound good, but because they’re a fundamental part of our model of sporting excellence”
via Twitter
- “Cules, be calm. Barça is innocent of what it is accused & the victim of a campaign against it’s honour, in which everyone is now involved. No surprise, but we will defend Barça & prove the club’s innocence. Many will have to correct themselves”
However, some leaked documents found by Libertad Digital regarding the Negreira Case were made public yesterday. Apparently, they seem to prove Barcelona’s innocence, confirming what Laporta said in the press conference.
Credits: https://twitter.com/reshadrahman_/status/1635775001302532096?s=46&t=g1qUkgtJs8I1Df4YfNadVw
Official Charges
.
Initially, the prosecutor’s office made the complaint effective and filed charges against the legal entities Bartomeu, Rosell, and Barcelona. As of now, the following individuals have been called to testify over the Negreira Case.
- Joseph Maria Bartomeu
- Carlos Tusquets
- Pep Segura
- Joan Laporta
- Joan Gaspart
- Ernesto Valverde
- Luis Enrique
Our Thoughts
Indeed these are hard times for us but it is too early to take a side as there are no official judgements made. The process is believed to be extensive, but things still remain 50-50. In Barcelona’s POV, the last 24 hours have been great as many parties/individuals are starting to raise their voice against the ‘SET OF PEOPLE’ who are orchestrating this Negreira Case.
Let’s hope for the best. Stay strong Culers!
