Learn about the evolution of the 'Negreira case', the controversy that shakes Spanish football
Since last February 15 the payments from Barcelona to José María Enríquez Negreiravice president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) between 1994 and 2018, the 'Negreira case'investigated by the Prosecutor's Office, shook the Barça club and Spanish football.
On February 15, the program 'That you play' of the chain SER Catalunya reported that the Barcelona Prosecutor's Office is investigating a company owned by José María Enríquez Negreira for an alleged crime of corruption between individuals for about payments of 1.4 million euros made by FC Barcelona between 2016 and 2018.
The investigation was initiated as a result of a tax inspection to DASNIL 95 SLowned by Enríquez Negreira, for the taxation of the aforementioned 1.4 million euros.
Barcelona paid the aforementioned company 532,728 euros in 2016, 541,752 euros in 2017 and 318,200 euros in 2018, which is when the last payment was made, a date that coincides with the constitution of a new CTA and the departure of Enríquez Negreira from the Committee.
Josep Maria Bartomeu, president of the club culé in the period in which said payments are investigated, explained that the relationship with the vice president of the CTA between 1994 and 2018 began under the mandate of José Luis Núñez and that, successively, that relationship was maintained with Joan Gaspart, Joan Laporta, Sandro Rosell and himself.
Josep Maria Bartomeu.
A few minutes after the news was published, Barcelona admitted, in a statement, the hiring of the services of an external provider in the past (DASNIL 95 SL) to have “technical reports” related to professional arbitration and in order to "complement information required by the coaching staff of the first team and the subsidiary".
Speaking to the club's media, the club's president, Joan Laportaalso addressed the Barça partners:
Culers, it is not by chance that this information or information of this type is now coming out at a time when Barcelona is doing well, it is not by chance.
With the passing of the days, Laporta also complained about the leaks of data and documents that have been taking place since the case came to light and took the opportunity to respond to the president of LaLiga, javier thebeswho asked for his resignation, if he did not give convincing explanations of the matter.
I will not give him the pleasure, because Barcelona belongs to his partners.
Joan Laporta.
As a result of the appearance of the news, various media have released more details of the investigation into the relationship between Enríquez Negreira and FC Barcelona over the last two decades.
The former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees threatened Barcelona through a burofaxpublished in the newspaper The world, with uncovering a great "scandal" when the Barça club aborted its million-dollar payments to receive arbitration advice.
The number two of the referees warned the Barça club, then chaired by Josep María Bartomeu, in February 2019, to recount "without regard to the irregularities of the club that he had known and experienced first-hand."
Along these lines, the newspaper The country revealed that the Prosecutor's investigation confirms that the Barça club paid Enríquez Negreira seven million euros between 2001 and 2018 and that the amounts increased significantly during the first term of President Laporta (2003-2010).
The top leader clarified that at that time "these services" of Enríquez Negreira's company were carried out "with the invoice and the corresponding documentary and video support" and that the invoices were paid "for services rendered."
According to the investigation, the 'Negreira case' also affected the ex-director of FC Barcelona Josep Contreras, who died last December.
The newspaper The country published that the investigators have verified that Contreras, linked to Barca with the directives of José Luis Núñez, Joan Gaspart and Bartomeu, allegedly charged commissions close to 50% in the payments that the Barca club made to the son of the former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees Javier Enriquez.
This information was added to that published by the newspaper The worldwhich revealed that the former manager billed at least 728,420 euros to Barcelona between 2015 and 2018 through tresepa company owned by the former Barça manager.
The Spanish soccer bodies did not take long to react after the appearance of the case, although LaLiga, through President Tebas, has been the organization that has expressed the most opinion on the matter.
In his first reaction, the top leader of the Spanish soccer association assured that it was not possible to apply sports sanctions against the Barça club because the possible infringements had already prescribed and stressed that LaLiga is not reporting the case so as not to hinder the investigation of the Prosecutor's Office.
A few days later, Tebas assured that LaLiga will denounce the case before FIFA and UEFA if he considers it necessary and he was of the opinion that Laporta should resign if he does not explain the payments to the former arbitration leader well.
(With information from EFE)
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