FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta is defiantly pushing back in the face of widespread criticism amid a referee payment scandal gripping Spanish football.
The Barcelona Prosecutor’s Office told CNN earlier this month that it was investigating Barça over allegations it made $1.5 million in payments over three years to a company owned by a then-leading official with Spain’s referee committee, the CTA.
Spanish radio station Cadena SER reported last week that the club made a series of payments to a company owned by José María Enríquez Negreira between 2016 and 2018. At the time, Enríquez Negreira was serving as the CTA’s vice president.
The CTA is the governing body responsible for deciding which referees and assistants officiate weekly matches in Spain. Barcelona’s final payment was in June 2018, which coincided with Enríquez Negreira’s departure from the CTA, according to Cadena SER.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Laporta echoed the club’s initial statement on the investigation, saying that hiring a consultant for referee reports and scouting is something every club does and was a service the club considered necessary to its success.
Laporta – who previously served as Barça president from June 2003 to June 2010 – said an external lawyer and his team were carrying out a series of independent investigations for the club.
He also said Spanish authorities haven’t informed the club it’s the subject of an investigation.
The Barcelona prosecutor’s office confirmed to CNN last week that an investigation was underway but said the proceedings were private.
Barça president under fire
On Monday, the president of Spain’s top football division LaLiga, Javier Tebas, suggested Laporta should resign if he’s unable to explain why the payments were made, citing what he described as the club’s initial “superficial statement.”
FC Barcelona did a press release right when the whole scandal broke that made it look like every football club does this. It’s obvious that they don’t. One thing is to hire ex-referees [to do these reports], another is to hire ex-referees who are on the Technical Committee for Referees [CTA], right?
«لم تكن ثلاثة مواسم فقط، بل كانت مواسم كثيرة، أيضا مع قيادات مختلفة التي، من الناحية النظرية، لا تتحدث مع بعضها البعض. حسنًا، أنا لا أعرف. أنا لا أحب ذلك على الإطلاق ". ورد لابورتا يوم الثلاثاء قائلا إن تيباس - الذي اعترف سابقا بأنه من مشجعي ريال مدريد - "خلع قناعه" بينما يواصل "هوسه ببرشلونة" مما يشير إلى أن زعيم الدوري الإسباني ينخرط في حملة زعزعة الاستقرار ضد النادي. في الأسبوع الماضي، أخبر رئيس برشلونة السابق جوسيب ماريا بارتوميو كادينا سير أنه أوقف المدفوعات في قلب التحقيق في عام 2018 - عندما غادر إنريكيز نيجريرا CTA - لخفض التكاليف في النادي. وأضاف بارتوميو أن المدفوعات للشركة مستمرة منذ عام 2003 على الأقل، وهو العام الذي وصل فيه لأول مرة إلى النادي.