Spanish football is enduring its worst ever second because of the refereeing corruption case regarding Barcelona, La Liga president Javier Tebas stated Monday.
Last week Spanish prosecutors charged the Catalan membership with corruption after bills of more than 7.3 million euros ($7.Eight million) to a organisation owned via a former refereeing chief have been exposed in advance this year.Barcelona say they paid Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former referee and ex-vp of the refereeing committee of the Spanish football federation (CTA) between 1994 and 2018, for reviews and recommendation related to refereeing.
“Yes, (it’s the worst moment) that I recollect,” Tebas advised Movistar channel Vamos.
“The problem that we have is the worst. There are payments known by Barcelona to the vice-president of the CTA, this is some thing atypical.
“It’s comprehensible that tension is generated. The popularity of our football is at stake. I am ashamed. We have no clarification from Barcelona.”
Barcelona president Joan Laporta spoke at an event on Monday and said he would defend his team in opposition to “assaults”.
Laporta seemed emotional in the course of his speech and stated it become now not weakness, but as an alternative confirmed his desire to take on his membership’s detractors.
“Don’t suppose that I’m getting emotional out of weak point, I’m getting emotional due to the fact I really want to confront all the scoundrels who’re tarnishing our badge,” said Laporta.”There are ferocious assaults to sully our membership badge, which have nothing to do with fact.
“And you can be sure that the board of administrators that I actually have the respect of chairing will shield it with all our would possibly.”
Spanish newspaper El Pais stated Monday that former Barcelona coaches Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde, would be referred to as upon as witnesses within the court docket proceedings.
Reigning Spanish champions Real Madrid stated Sunday they would seem as an “injured party” in the case once it actions ahead.
As properly because the membership and Enriquez Negreira, two of the membership’s former presidents, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, are dealing with the same rate of corruption.
On a sporting stage, Barcelona face no immediate chance because the governing bodies of Spanish, European and global soccer have 5-yr statute of barriers, Tebas has stated.
On a crook level, the accused could withstand 4 years in prison.
Sanctions towards the club could variety from “suspension of activity…To outright dissolution as a organisation,” Alberto Palomar, professor of regulation at Carlos III University of Madrid told AFP.