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Barcelona have been accused in the past of paying referees to fix matches
Joan Laporta is under pressure, despite important signings this summer
There have been calls for him to resign from office over the bribery scandal
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There is never a dull day in Barcelona where President Joan Laporta can be praised for fixing the finances and urged to resign over the bribery scandal, all in the same day.
What kind of day will Sunday be? That depends on how Barcelona handles Athletic Bilbao. If they win and go into next Saturday’s Clasico in good form, the mood will be high, until the next accusation drops, of course.
Laporta claimed on Thursday that this is all a campaign against the club emanating from dark forces in Madrid who want to destabilize the team that won LaLiga last season.
It is certainly true that the investigating judge in the case against the club is keen to release details of his trial as he moves forward, and that for now there is no evidence whatsoever that Barcelona has paid referees to fix matches. But it is also undeniable that the club paid Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira an amount of 7.3 million euros between 2001 and 2018.
He was vice-chairman of the refereeing committee at the time and had influence over which referees were promoted to officiate top matches and which were demoted. ‘Logically’ (a word used several times by the investigating judge) it follows that anyone in Spanish football finds it difficult to believe that the money was only intended for information reports on match officials, as originally claimed.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has denied Barcelona paid referees to fix matches
The club paid Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira (left) £6.3 million between 2001 and 2008, when he held the position of vice-chairman of the referees’ committee.
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Initially the club was investigated for corruption, but because Negreira worked for the Spanish Football Federation it is now suggested that he could be considered an official during the time payments were made to him and that means Barcelona could be accused of bribery. on the basis that they allegedly bought favors from government officials.
Under bribery laws in Spain, if the case goes to trial, it will not be necessary to prove that influence was indeed exercised. It would only be necessary to prove that Barcelona’s intention existed to gain that influence.
And while Laporta was completely off the hook under the previous corruption charge because his first stint at the club fell outside the statute of limitations, if the corruption charge turns into bribery, he will be on the hook again because the statute of limitations is longer.
He has broad shoulders both literally and figuratively and says he is not worried, especially because he does not believe it will not work out that Negreira was a civil servant and that the charge will therefore remain one of corruption and not bribery. Allegations of corruption require proof and despite Spanish police searching the Federation’s offices, they found none.
Negreira once claimed that Barcelona bought neutrality. The implication of that comment was that Real Madrid already had some influence on the way Spanish football was refereed and that Barcelona also just wanted their spoon in the pudding.
Some fans wonder why Laporta quadrupled payments to Negreira in 2009. He says this was because Negreira’s son also did scouting work and Barcelona paid the going rate.
Laporta has made some good decisions, including bringing in Xavi as manager to lead Barcelona to the Spanish title last season
Joao Felix (left) and Joao Cancelo (right) have both started well at Barcelona after Laporta signed them this summer
Many other Barcelona supporters do not want to see a full-scale campaign against Laporta, as many of his decisions are paying off. He supported Xavi as coach and Xavi won the league last season.
He relied on the club’s relationship with Jorge Mendes this summer and Mendes worked his magic in the transfer market, moving Ansu Fati to Brighton to make room for Joao Felix and leave money for Joao Cancelo – all his clients.
The two Joaos have been less than sensational since their arrival. Felix has scored three times and Cancelo twice and both have changed the way the team plays by providing movement from their starting positions as left wing and right back, creating space and opportunities for those around them.
“If the two Joaos continue to play like this, we will have to make an effort to sign them,” Laporta said this week. It will also be an effort because although Barcelona has announced positive figures for the past financial year, these have been inflated by one-off asset sales such as part of the club’s production company, its merchandising department and future television revenues.
Laporta is keeping his nerves under control for the time being, but there are calls for him to resign
And if we ignore these one-off windfalls, almost 80 percent of Barcelona’s revenues are still eaten up by the club’s wage bill – a completely unsustainable situation.
Increasing turnover is essential, but that is difficult in the temporary Olympic Stadium with a capacity of 49,000 places.
The club urgently needs Camp Nou to be ready in time for the start of next season. The demolition of the two upper rings has been completed, so the reconstruction of the new Camp Nou, costing 1.5 billion euros, can now begin.
Its completion depends on financial support and those lenders don’t like bribery stories. But for now, everyone is keeping their nerves in check. Laporta knows better than anyone that this will be easier if they also retain their LaLiga crown.