Barca's troubles might not all be financial

[Madmalc]

Interesting report from Spain:

Barcelona in corruption 'bombshell' as €1.4m payment to La Liga referee comes to light

According to reports in Spain, a company owned by a former La Liga referee was paid €1.4m by FC Barcelona between 2016 and 2018.

www.football365.com

 

[Ironfistedmonk]

They're probably all at it these ESL clubs, and Leeds, always dirty

 

[justanotherwolf]

News has broken today that Barcelona are being investigated for payments from 2016-2018 of EUR 1.4m to Enriquez Negreira's company, who was the vice president of the refereeing committee for the Spanish FA at the time.

The Athletic

Of course, clubs hiring ex-referees for specific roles or to advise on a particular issue isn't new (and quite common in Spain), but this is secret/undeclared payments to someone in an active, high-powered role at the Spanish FA.

It has only come to light because Enriquez Negreira's being investigated for the payments by the Spanish prosecutors office for 'corruption between individuals'. Payments stopped after 2018 when the Spanish FA's board changed and Enriquez Negreira was replaced.

Barcelona denies any impropriety (obv) but at very best it looks like an egregious conflict of interest for Enriquez Negreira to both be providing reports on refereeing to Barcelona (for a very high fee) whilst also influencing refereeing appointments.

Lots more to come on this...

 

[Stourport wolf]

Thing is, in Spain, corruption investigations go on for years and then often get thrown out or are archived. This could go further though, as Barca is a dirty word in Spain, since the ilegal referendum, for Catalonia to break away from Spain.

 

[WV10Wolf]

Money to pay for referees, but none to pay players wages.

 

[Wednesbury Wolf]

Of course that sort of thing could never happen here - not much it couldn't.

 

[WolfLing]

Money to pay for referees, but none to pay players wages.

They've got caught up with the whole, "but we're Barcelona!" arrogance and completely lost sight of what's right and wrong.

They'll probably be asking for players to pay them to play for them soon.

Probably justifying any corruption to themselves on the basis that the World needs Barcelona to be successful, so we were helping the World.

 

[Stourport wolf]

The latest news about this scandal, is that the vice president of the Spanish referee association, until 2018, sent a fax to the Barcelona president, saying, " if you don't pay in to my private company, a sum of money, that he was going to release information that would incriminate Barcelona.

On tonight's Spanish news, Barca have said they were paying the Vice president of the referees, because they wanted the referees to be neutral.
You couldn't make it up!

 

[Wolf in Kenilworth]

Please say Man United and the Albion are involved somehow…..

 

[Rabid Wolf]

Please say Man United and the Albion are involved somehow…..

and Liverpool.

 

[waggys left foot]

It's not good

Barcelona’s past payments to referees’ chief cast dark cloud over La Liga | Sid Lowe

Questions abound after revelations that José María Enríquez Negreira, the former referee, was paid €7m by Barcelona

www.theguardian.com

 

[GoldenHorseshoe]

Even the King was at it, (I'm not sure why I added the word 'Even')

 

[JohnB]

Does he have the VAR camera from Anfield? Can he return it for Wednesday?

 

[Stourport wolf]

Even the King was at it, (I'm not sure why I added the word 'Even')

The abdicated King's daughter's husband went to prison for using his status, to steal from charities.

 

[Stourport wolf]

Real Madrid refuse to vote, for Barca to be investigated. Most people here, think that Real Madrid will have done similar to Barca. Going by how the referees favor Real Madrid and to lesser extent Barca, it would not be surprising.

Real Madrid impede group action against Barcelona over Caso Negreira as La Liga frustration grows - Football España

www-football--espana-net.cdn.ampproject.org

 

[WickedWolfie]

Real Madrid refuse to vote, for Barca to be investigated. Most people here, think that Real Madrid will have done similar to Barca. Going by how the referees favor Real Madrid and to lesser extent Barca, it would not be surprising.

Real Madrid impede group action against Barcelona over Caso Negreira as La Liga frustration grows - Football España

www-football--espana-net.cdn.ampproject.org

Why does your post not surprise me.... Barca are bound to ask for other clubs to be probed too....

 

[WickedWolfie]

The abdicated King's daughter's husband went to prison for using his status, to steal from charities.

It's a shame. Juan Carlos was a hero in the immediate post-Franco era but after that....

 

[WolfInSheep'sClothing]

What is to stop this from happening over here?
Is uk football ran in a way where every decision is transparent? Hell no.
I'm still waiting for the scandals over here.

 

[wolvesjoe]

Real Madrid refuse to vote, for Barca to be investigated. Most people here, think that Real Madrid will have done similar to Barca. Going by how the referees favor Real Madrid and to lesser extent Barca, it would not be surprising.

Real Madrid impede group action against Barcelona over Caso Negreira as La Liga frustration grows - Football España

www-football--espana-net.cdn.ampproject.org

Whats funny is how a few numpties here go on denying the possibility of corruption in the UK, even with this scandal coming to light.

 

[TheConcourse]

Whats funny is how a few numpties here go on denying the possibility of corruption in the UK, even with this scandal coming to light.

Exactly. The answers stare us in the face on a weekly basis.

 

[Stourport wolf]

Why does your post not surprise me.... Barca are bound to ask for other clubs to be probed too....

Well, it was taking about 8 years, for many corruption cases to get to court, before the judicial strike here in Spain, so this case will go on for years. Then like most influential people caught up in corruption, over here, they end up having their cases archived and not being prosecuted.

Chaos in the Spanish justice system due to the strike of lawyers

Chaos in the Spansh Justices system with lawyers on strike since January 24 has resulted in 146,000 cancelled hearings and lawsuits.

inspain.news

 

[lobodelsur]

Some very pertinent questions being asked here;

Barcelona’s past payments to referees’ chief cast dark cloud over La Liga | Sid Lowe

Questions abound after revelations that José María Enríquez Negreira, the former referee, was paid €7m by Barcelona

www.theguardian.com

Also, if everything was clean and above board (as is being claimed) why did Barca need to make the payments from 'a company owned by a now deceased club director' to 'a company owned by Negreira' rather than directly from club to Negreira ?

 

[chignalwolf]

What is to stop this from happening over here?
Is uk football ran in a way where every decision is transparent? Hell no.
I'm still waiting for the scandals over here.

The whole World is now corrupt, not just in sport but Politics, Banking, Charities, Police, Royalty, Sandwell, etc etc Money is King, not morals like we are told to live by, Always has been but now just blatant, I'm still living by morals, Vote for the Chignal One.
did I forget religion. not just for money either.