Barcelona: The Spanish police raise the figure to 8.4 million euros in the case of alleged corruption of referees

Spanish police have increased the amount that former Vice President of the Committee of Referees (CTA), José María Enríquez Negreira, received from Barcelona between 2001 and 2018 to €8.4 million, following a more thorough investigation. Negreira and Barcelona, ​​​​as well as presidents Sandro Rosell, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Joan Laporta, are under investigation for alleged bribery, sports corruption and document falsification.

Previous figures were estimated at around 7.5 million euros, but La Razón has revealed that new payments have been made to companies related to Negreira, which brings the total figure to 8,389,599.73 euros in 17 years. The report presented by investigating magistrate Joaquín Aguirre says that there are clear indications of an attempt to obtain unjustified economic benefits.

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Barcelona has maintained its innocence at all times, and current president Laporta claims that the payments made to him are for consulting on arbitration proceedings during that period. The 162-page report says that of that figure of 8.4 million euros, they have not been able to trace the destination of 3.2 million euros.

The investigation has already been ongoing for 18 months and it appears that it will continue for some time, given that it is currently in the pre-trial stage. Several La Liga teams have requested to be included in the case as victims of the incident, including Real Madrid and Sevilla, with whom relations have become strained.