Barcelona could be BANNED from football following refereeing scandal

Barcelona have been charged with bribery in referee corruption scandal

Spanish club Barcelona face a bribery case in the Spanish courts over a refereeing scandal that could ban them from football.

According to Spanish outlet El Debate, Judge Joaquin Aguirre has accused Barcelona of bribery in relation to payments of around £ 6 million to former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees Jose Maria Enruquez Negreira.

Spanish media including AS had previously reported that Barcelona paid € 7 million (£6.1m) to Negreira between 2001 and 2018 for 'undocumented' verbal advice that would supposedly ensure neutral treatment from referees during fixtures.

Earlier in September, the investigating judge, Joaquin Aguirre Lopez, said no evidence had yet been found of Negreira paying referees to influence match results.

Negreira has denied ever favouring Barcelona in terms of refereeing decisions. Barcelona have also denied any wrongdoing and earlier this year said they hired Negreira as an “external consultant” who provided reports “related to professional refereeing”.

Former presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, as well as former official Negreira and his son Javier Enriquez Romero, have all been charged.

Barca president Joan Laporta has so far avoided talking about the scandal, which could result in a Champions League ban for Xavi's side.

It had been alleged that Negreira received the cash via a shell company set up by former Barcelona director Josep Contreras, who allegedly earned 50% commission.

Speaking to the press immediately after news of the charge broke, Barcelona manager Xavi remained silent when asked about the topic, saying: "I don't make reflections of this type. I have very little time and I need it to see what happens to the team, what has happened to us in Mallorca, the strategy, Sevilla. I don't reflect on these issues."