La Liga president defends Barcelona in Negreira case – ‘They didn’t pay referees’ | OneFootball

In an interview with ABC (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Javier Tebas, president of La Liga, expressed his conviction that FC Barcelona did not indulge in making any payments to referees to influence matches when asked about the ‘Negreira case’.

The Negreira case currently remains under investigation in courts, with the crux of the matter being the payments made by Barcelona to the former vice-president of the Referees’ Technical Committee (CTA), Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.

The Blaugrana have always maintained that the payments, made between 2001 and 2018, were for technical reports on referees and scout reports on players. And, there has been no evidence suggesting otherwise.

But other parties, such as Real Madrid, continue to drag the matter in court. Tebas and La Liga have also presented themselves as private prosecutors in the investigation. And the league chief is convinced there was no buying of referees at any stage.

“We live in a state governed by the rule of law, and the rules are what they are. We were the first to go to the public prosecutor’s office, not Real Madrid, and we have continued to act within the law,” Tebas started.

“Then there’s the issue of the Sports Law, which I don’t follow, that there’s a three-year statute of limitations. I’ve advocated for much longer statutes of limitations for these types of crimes,” he added, airing his grievances.

However, giving Barça the clean chit, he said: “But what’s also clear is that Barcelona didn’t pay referees, as the narrative seems to suggest.” 

Tebas defended Barcelona in the Negreira case. (Photo by Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images For Sportel)

When pressed by the newspaper that Barcelona paid “for something” to Negreira, Tebas replied:

“You’re telling me this, since we’re the ones who are involved in the case and who said that this conduct should be condemned with a sporting sanction. But the criminal sphere is another matter.

“And to say that referees were being bribed and that if Vinicius wasn’t given a penalty in Pamplona, it was Negreira ‘s fault, as Florentino Perez said at a members’ meeting, if I’m not mistaken… I absolutely disagree with that, because it’s not true.”

Driving home his point, the La Liga chief added: “The facts have to be judged, they are being judged, and the criminal justice system will decide what happened, whether or not there was a crime.”

On another matter, when asked whether he conceded too much in La Liga in order to secure Joan Laporta’s renunciation of the Super League, Tebas firmly denied it.

“No, I haven’t given in at all. Absolutely nothing,” he said.

“A year ago, La Liga took the Olmo issue to its ultimate conclusion, and it was the Higher Sports Council – they say with Florentino’s help, well, Florentino says so, and he told Barcelona as much last year – that managed to get him to play. It wasn’t La Liga.”

“We try to maintain a polite and cordial relationship with Barcelona, ​​who have recognised the work we do and have recently presented some impressive figures and important companies that value it and want it to be where it belongs.”