According to ABC, two inspectors assigned by UEFA have determined that FC Barcelona should not be allowed to participate in the Champions League the next year due to their involvement in the “Caso Negreira” referee payment controversy.
In March, after it was discovered that the Catalans had given money to Jose Maria Enrique Negreira, the former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees, the provincial prosecutor’s office in Barcelona filed a charge against the people of Catalonia for “continued corruption between individuals in the sports field.”
El Mundo claims that from 2001 to 2018, Negreira received compensation from the La Liga champions totaling close to $7 million ($7.5 million).
This time frame includes the first term of current president Joan Laporta, from 2003 to 2010, however Laporta has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and insists that the payments were made in exchange for sincere consultation work.
The European Football Association (UEFA), which oversees football in Europe, announced the beginning of its own inquiry in the same month that Barca was penalized due to a “potential violation” of UEFA rules.
A judgment from UEFA was “imminent,” according to a report from Mundo Deportivo over the weekend, with a temporary ban from the Champions League being one of three potential results.
Nearly a week after the incident, ABC reports that the two investigators chosen by UEFA’s Ethics and Disciplinary Committee to look into it, specifically Jean Samuel Leuba and Mirjam Koller Trunz, have determined that Barca should be barred from competing in European competitions for a year.
The two contend that Barca has “violated the legal framework” established by UEFA and that there are indications of activities intended to sway game results.
Aleksander Ceferin, the organization’s president, ultimately has the final word on any punishments. Laporta travelled to meet with him after UEFA opened its inquiry and said he was certain that there wouldn’t be any immediate sanctions, according to SPORT.
The Slovenian president has two options: he may wait for the Spanish court to rule on Barca’s fate before taking any further action, or he can dismiss Barca from the UCL for the upcoming season in accordance with the inspectors’ findings and recommendations.
However, if he does so and Barca is later found not guilty by the Spanish courts, the club may then file a case against UEFA in an effort to recover damages that might total millions of dollars.
In any case, it would be devastating for debt-ridden Barcelona, who are now unable to afford Lionel Messi’s comeback, to miss out on the Champions League next season.
By temporarily leaving their home at Camp Nou while it is being restored and playing at the Montjuic Stadium in 2023/2024, Barca already stand to lose over €93 million ($99.6 million) in television money, win bonuses, and ticket sales.
