Spanish football team accused of illegal payments between 2016 – 2018 to a company owned by the then-vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees
The Prosecutor’s Office of Barcelona filed a criminal complaint against the Spanish football powerhouse, as well as two former presidents and their executives, for paying a company owned by a former CTA vice president to obtain referee information.
The payments were allegedly made between 2016 and 2018 to a company owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, who was then-vice president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation’s Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) (RFEF).
Between 2001 and 2018, Barcelona allegedly received information about referees in exchange for €7.3 million ($7.8 million).
After the allegations surfaced, Barcelona issued a statement in February denying any wrongdoing.
Barca stated that they were aware of the investigation and had hired an external consultant who provided them with “technical reports related to professional refereeing” to supplement information requested by the first and second-team coaching staff.
According to the club, this is a common practice among professional football clubs.
According to the Spanish Penal Code, the crimes in question are punishable by imprisonment ranging from six months to four years, a prohibition from engaging in private commercial activities ranging from one to six years, and fines.
