Barcelona: Spanish police raise figure in alleged referee bribery case to 8.4 million euros
Spanish police have increased the amount that former vice president of the Committee of Referees (CTA) Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira received from Barcelona between 2001 and 2018 to 8.4 million euros, following further investigations. Negreira and Barcelona, and presidents Sandro Rosell, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Joan Laporta, are under investigation for alleged bribery, sports corruption and forgery of documents.
Previous figures were estimated at around 7.5 million euros, but The reason they revealed that more payments found to companies linked to slave girlwhich leads to a total figure of €8,389,599.73 over the course of 17 years. The report presented by the investigating magistrate Joaquin Aguirre says that there is a clear indication of an attempt to obtain unjustified financial benefits.
Lionel Messi: “I would like to see Barça win La Liga, the Copa del Rey and also the Champions League.” @mundodeportivo pic.twitter.com/c55M9CXkvg
— Barcacentre (@barcacentre) December 6, 2024
Barcelona they have maintained their innocence throughout, with the current president Laporta claiming that the payments made to him are for consulting on arbitration benefits during that period. The 162-page report says that of that figure of 8.4 million euros, they could not trace the destination of 3.2 million euros.
The investigation has already been going on for 18 months, and it looks like it will drag on for some time, as it is currently in the pre-trial phase. A number of La Liga parties have asked to be included in the case as victims of the incident, including Real Madrid and Sevilla, with whom relations have become strained.
