Because FC Barcelona maintained too close contact with the second man on the referee committee and paid handsome sums, charges are being brought against the club. The consequences could be serious.
The Spanish public prosecutor wants to put FC Barcelona and its ex-presidents Sandro Rosell (2010-2014) and Josep Maria Bartomeu (2014-2018) on trial. The background is the multi-million dollar payments to the former number two of the Spanish Referee Committee, José María Enríquez Negreiro. He received around seven million euros from FC Barcelona between 2001 and 2018. Barça had “reached and maintained (over the years) a strictly confidential agreement with Enríquez Negreiro” which ultimately served the purpose of “benefiting Barcelona in the decisions of the referees in the club’s games, as well as in its competition results”. A judge must now decide whether to hear the case. That should be a matter of form.
In addition to Rosell, Bartomeu and Enríquez Negreiro, two former managers of the club and Barça as a legal entity were accused of “continued corrupt business practices in the category of sports fraud”, breach of trust and the forgery of business documents. These offenses only become statute-barred after ten years, which is why – surprisingly – ex-President Rosell was reported. Both Barça and Enríquez Negreira have denied any wrongdoing. They stressed that the payments were fees for harmless assessments of judges.
However, the public prosecutor’s office has come to the conclusion that the payments invoiced were not matched by any corresponding services. In their complaint, the public prosecutor emphasizes that Spain’s referees’ committee CTA is responsible for appointing referees in the league and for the promotions and relegations of referees.
Former Barca president under suspicion: Sandro Rosell.
(Photo: David Ramos/Getty)
The big question is what consequences can arise from the case. Barça cannot be prosecuted under sports law. But the newspaper La Vanguardia came up with an article on Friday that in the case of convictions for corrupt business practices, the criminal law could be put under receivership – or punished with a forced relegation and even the dissolution of the club. From Barça’s point of view, such a case would be tantamount to a super meltdown. It is considered unlikely because it would have to be specifically proven that referees were actually bought. The situation is much more complex with regard to participation in the Champions League.
The organizer, the European football union Uefa, could refrain from admitting Barça to the Champions League. The competition regulations state that a club wishing to take part in European competitions “must not be involved in activities that are likely to unlawfully influence the sporting result of a national or international match”.