February 20 – Barcelona paid a company owned by a former Catalan referee almost €1.4 million for “technical advice”, according to Spanish media reports citing a tax probe.
The money was allegedly paid to DASNIL 95, owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, between 2016 and 2018.
Reports claim Spanish prosecutors have been looking into the case as a result of a tax inspection into Dasnil 95, and that Negreira and his son have already testified before the Prosecutor’s Office.
Between 1994 and 2018 Negreira was vice president of the refereeing committee at the Spanish FA (RFEF). It is claimed advice was given to Barca’s players on how they should behave during matches depending on who was refereeing.
In an interview with Spanish newspaper ABC on Friday, former Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu said he ended the contract with the company to reduce costs and that the club never tried to seek favour from referees.
“This person had zero power over referees,” Bartomeu said.
Current president Joan Laporta said it was “no co-incidence” that the case had come to light “when the things are going well for the team.” Barca lead Spanish league and are seeking their first league title since 2019.
The Spanish soccer federation and its referee committee said Negreira has had no role in the organisation since it changed administration in 2018.
Luis Medina, who refereed from 1998-2009 and is now head of the committee that assigns referees to Spanish games, said he never received any pressure of any type from Negreira or anyone else to influence a result or favour a team, describing Negreira as “a man in the shadows.”
FC Barcelona responded with a statement in which they explained that in the past they had contracted “the services of an external technical consultant, who provided, in video format, technical reports on youth players in Spain for the club’s technical staff” and that now “this type of outsourced service is provided by a professional assigned to the football department”.
The club warned it would take legal action “against anyone who spoils the club’s image with possible insinuations” that are “contrary to the reputation” of Barcelona.
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