March 25, (THEWILL) – Barcelona are confident that they will avoid a ban from the UEFA Champions League amid an ongoing corruption case.
The Spanish courts have charged the club with “continuous sporting corruption” over allegations that they made payments to the former Vice President of Spain’s refereeing committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, for insider information on match officials.
As THEWILL reported, UEFA confirmed on Thursday, that they are launching their own investigation into the scandal. However, Barcelona are maintaining their innocence in the matter and believe that any punishment from UEFA could be legally reversed or challenged if they are found not guilty by Spanish courts.
The charges against Barcelona claim that they paid Negreira and his company in exchange for preferential treatment from referees. This key detail hints at match-fixing, which is punishable by UEFA with a ban from European competition. While La Liga has ruled out sporting sanctions against Barcelona, the club’s President, Javier Tebas, has claimed he will revisit the case if the club is found guilty.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
