April 14, (THEWILL) – Barcelona President, Joan Laporta, has announced that he will hold a press conference to explain the club’s involvement in the Negreira scandal.
The Catalan club is being investigated for alleged bribery after making payments to former referee chief, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, for information and analysis on match officials. Spanish prosecutors have opened a case into what they termed “continuous sporting corruption.”
The club could face several sanctions if found guilty, with UEFA considering banning them from next season’s Champions League and La Liga President, Javier Tebas, suggesting he may also take action against the club. Recently, Tebas called for Laporta to publicly explain Barcelona’s actions. “We need explanations. If they are calm and keep the explanations to themselves, I think they should be worried,” he said.
Barcelona has reportedly written to both UEFA and FIFA, asking not to impose punishments until they have been legally sanctioned, and plans to explain their involvement in the Negreira scandal privately. However, Laporta’s upcoming press conference indicates that he intends to provide a public statement.
It was claimed last month that Barcelona could potentially sue UEFA for lost revenue if they are unlawfully banned from the UCL.
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.
