Since the bombshell dropped in September 2022 regarding Barcelona’s payments to the company of José María Enríquez Negreira, then vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the entire club has been waiting for this moment: the progress of investigation into the Negreira case. The institution has been accused of briberyaccording to the interpretation of Joaquín Aguirre, head of the Court of Instruction number 1 of Barcelona.

Enríquez Negreira and his son, as well as former Barça presidents Josep María Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, are also involved in this process. All have spoken repeatedly, ensuring that this connection did not create any advantage for Barcelona. Now they must have a formal defense before the Court.

According to information from various media such as AS newspaper, the judge analyzed it “Logically the payments made by FC Barcelona satisfied the interests of the club due to their duration and annual increase.” And he adds: “The crime of bribery is complete as soon as the payment is made, regardless of whether or not the systemic corruption of Spanish arbitration due to such payments is proven.”

The focus will be on whether the Catalans received referee help or not. And that suggests yes, from what appears from the court communication. “The payments to Negreira produced the arbitration results desired by Barcelona, ​​in such a way that there must have been a disparity in treatment with other teams.” is highlighted.

What does the offense of bribery mean and what does it change in the investigation?

When it was discovered in 2022 that Barcelona had contacts with José María Enriquez Negreira and had paid him more than 7 million euros, the club became involved in the crime of corruption in the sports sector, with a sentence of up to three years. . The new cap introduces more severe penalties, with a maximum of six years.

Bribery is legally a crime that “committed by those who request, accept or offer money, gifts or favors in exchange for an act related to the exercise of public service”. In this case, Judge Aguirre indicted only the association (legal entity).

In addition, if found guilty, the institution faces heavy financial penalties and could even be banned.

What sanction could Barcelona receive after being charged with the offense of bribery?

Not only would Barcelona have to pay money for this whole affair, but they could face expulsion from European competitions and punishment in the Spanish competition itself. UEFA expressed on July 27: “The procedure regarding the admission of FC Barcelona to the 2023-2024 UEFA club competitions has been suspended and may be resumed, ex officio or at the request of the Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors (IED) responsible for the case.”

The most notable recent case is that of Juventus in Serie A. La Vecchia Signora, embroiled in a referee bribery scandal (which may not be too dissimilar to what Barcelona are currently experiencing), were punished by relegation in 2006. In addition, the titles won in the 2004-2004 season were stripped 2005 and 2005-2006.