Negreira case: terrible news for Barça! | OneFootball

Negreira scandal: Barça summoned to appear!

Negreira case: terrible news for Barça!

FC Barcelona sees the specter of the Negreira affair resurface, a case that continues to tarnish its image. According to revelations from Onda Cero, the Spanish courts have summoned the Catalan club to appear as a suspect on January 27, as part of the investigation into payments made to José María Enríquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees, between 2001 and 2018.

These payments, officially justified as “technical refereeing advice”, have since raised serious suspicions of corruption. For this hearing, Barça will be represented by its vice-president Elena Fort, while former president Joan Gaspart, who was in office at the start of the events, has been called as a witness.

Current president Joan Laporta, who was at one point indicted, was ultimately acquitted due to the statute of limitations on acts committed during his first term (2003-2010). Despite this favorable personal outcome, the Catalan leader remains under pressure as the case once again threatens the club's reputation. This new judicial development reignites an explosive issue whose resolution could have major sporting and institutional consequences for Barça.