Barcelona FC was accused of corruption on Friday by Spanish prosecutors for payments it made to the business of a former refereeing chief.
The same charge is being brought against Josep Maria Bartomeu, one of the club’s former presidents, and Sandro Rosell, the club’s former refereeing chief.
The matter involves alleged payments that Barcelona paid Negreira, the former vice-president of the refereeing technical committee, for giving the club verbal guidance on refereeing-related topics.
The allegations come just a few days after Barca’s current manager, Joan Laporta, stated that his team had never “bought referees.”
Between 2001 and 2018, the Catalan side is said to have paid Negreira’s company 6.5 million euros, or $6.9 million.
Laporta stated earlier this week, “Let it be clear Barca have never bought referees and Barca have never had the intention of buying referees, absolutely never.”