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Soccer giant FC Barcelona could be in big, big trouble after a Spanish court officially charged the club with bribery of former vice-president of the RFEF’s refereeing committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.
Investigations into both Negreira and the club began in March.
Spanish prosecutors claimed the club made alleged payments of more than 7.3 million euros ($7.8 million) over 17 years to firms owned by Negreira.
Barcelona, of course, denies these allegations.
The club claims it had paid an external consultant who supplied it with “technical reports related to professional refereeing”, which it said was a common practice among professional football clubs in a statement released in February.
The news couldn’t come at worse time for the club, either.
A year ago it appeared Barcelona was in turmoil. The club was upside down financially and struggling to keep up with rival Real Madrid.
Real Madrid has also joined the prosecution in the lawsuit as a damaged party.
But the Blaugrana rebounded, thanks in part to club legend Xavi Hernandez and academy players just as Gavi and Pedro. Barcelona finished atop La Liga in 2022-23 and currently sits third in the table early in the 2023-24 season.
That could be all for naught, however, should the allegations of bribery be proven true. The club could face significant penalties that range anywhere from significant fines to relegation into the lower divisions of Spanish soccer.
The latter punishment is not unheard.
Italian club Juventus faced a similar fate in 2006 when it was found guilty of match-fixing scandal. The club forfeited both its 2004-5 and 2005-6 Serie A titles and relegated to Serie B.
Whether or not Barcelona faces a similar fate is yet to be seen. But if it does, the club may find it tough to bounce back financially.
Barca sold off several of its media and merchandise rights to raise funds prior to the 2022-23 season.