Barcelona's President Speaks Out on Referee Bribery Scandal

Not only denying the allegations, Barcelona's president has also publicly accused their biggest rival, Real Madrid, in his most recent remarks.

The Negreira case remains the focal point of debate in Spanish football, as Barcelona President Joan Laporta recently made strong comments defending the club's reputation. Amid ongoing accusations against Barcelona spanning several years with no resolution, Laporta reaffirmed: "The Catalan club has never bribed or influenced referees."

Since 2023, Barcelona and some senior officials have been under investigation for payments made to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, who formerly served as vice president of the Technical Refereeing Committee of the Spanish Football Federation.

The court found that transfers amounting to millions of euros between 2001 and 2018 showed signs of legal violations and called for criminal responsibility to be examined. Several key figures, including Javier Enriquez, Negreira’s son, and former presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Bartomeu, have testified.

However, according to Laporta, there is still no convincing evidence that Barcelona attempted to bribe referees. He emphasized that provisional court rulings do not confirm bribery, and noted that many complaints from private organizations have also failed to provide clear proof. The emergence of new details has prevented judges from reaching a final verdict, prolonging the case beyond expectations.

The Barcelona president believes the club was condemned by public opinion even before the trial began. He is confident that Barcelona will ultimately be cleared and hinted that certain forces want to keep the case alive to disadvantage the Camp Nou team.

Laporta also rejected the argument that Barcelona won matches on the field due to referee favoritism. He cited that for the past 72 years, the Spanish refereeing committee has always included a member from Real Madrid. According to Laporta, this fact shows Real Madrid’s significant influence over the refereeing system, and Barcelona’s victories in that context further demonstrate the true quality of the team.

La Liga president Javier Tebas has previously mentioned the possibility that Real Madrid influences referees’ decisions through their television channel. Laporta considers this a matter worthy of closer examination, especially concerning content aired on Real Madrid TV.

The Negreira case remains unresolved, but with Laporta’s latest declaration, Barcelona is striving to protect its image and reputation amid mounting public pressure.

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