Barcelona’s investigation into its controversial payments for refereeing reports discovered no evidence of club malfeasance, club president Joan Laporta said Monday.
Laporta reiterated that the club’s payments to the company owned by the vice president of Spain’s refereeing committee were for technical reports only and not to influence referees. According to him, there was no ethical violation, and Barcelona was the victim of a campaign to harm its reputation.
“This is one of the most ferocious attacks in our history,” said Laporta. “I implore FC Barcelona fans to be more unified than ever in defending our crest, our essence, and our ownership model. No campaign to discredit us will prevent us from remaining a reference in the world of athletics, adored and respected by millions of Catalans and many more millions of people worldwide.”
Barcelona claims its probe into disputed refereeing report payments found no wrongdoing.
It was the first time Laporta addressed a news conference to provide explanations after it was revealed that the club paid $8 million to the company of then-committee vice president José Mara Enrquez Negreira between 2001 and 2018. Barcelona has been accused of alleged corruption in athletics, fraudulent management, and falsification of commercial documentation by prosecutors.
Barcelona initiated the investigation to examine the actions of all the presidents who made payments over the years, including Laporta’s first administration at the club. An external company conducted the investigation.
The club stated that the investigation revealed: “no criminal acts associated with sporting corruption have been identified, and there are no grounds to investigate any form of bribery-related criminal activity.” It also stated that there was “official documentation on the invoices and payments” for the services of “scouting and advice regarding referees, which are common practices in the professional sports sector.”
“Consulting on technical-refereeing issues does not constitute any type of illegal act,” said Laporta. “Consulting, as is customary for large clubs, was conducted transparently, with invoices, at least during my first term as president.”
The investigation uncovered 629 technical refereeing reports and 43 CDs that the club obtained over the course of 18 years for what Laporta termed “market price.” He stated that more reports were presumably lost over time.
Prove accusations. Our legal system protects the presumption of innocence.
“I reiterate with unwavering conviction that FC Barcelona has not perpetrated any sports-related corruption crimes. “I hope that it will be cleared as soon as possible,” he said. “Accusations must be substantiated. We live under the rule of law, which among its fundamental principles guarantees the presumption of innocence.”
He stated that if Negreira were to perpetrate any irregularities, Barcelona would be the victim. In addition, he stated that Negreira was not in a position to actively influence referees, and that Negreira’s son was the one who produced the refereeing reports.
“I dare anyone to show an instance in which Barcelona was favored in a match because of these payments,” Laporta said. “We will let the legal system do its job, and I am confident that Barcelona will be exonerated. I am completely persuaded that FC Barcelona has never intentionally manipulated a competition to obtain an advantage.”
A number of clubs, including the Spanish league, Real Madrid, and others, have participated in the legal proceedings against Barcelona. Laporta criticized league president Javier Tebas for his accusations against Barcelona, and he also criticized rival Madrid.
“Everyone knows that Real Madrid has historically benefited from refereeing errors,” he said.
Barcelona, according to Laporta, has always been a club that takes confidence in its values, and it would never want to accomplish anything with outside assistance.
“Throughout its 123-year history, FC Barcelona has always been a model of fair play, both on and off the field,” he explained. If we have been successful for so many decades, it is without a doubt due to our diligence, aptitude, and knowledge.