UEFA showed Barcelona’s position within the subsequent Champions League on Thursday although stated an investigation into greater than $7 million paid to a refereeing respectable might be reopened if extra proof emerges.
Barcelona’s position within the Champions League organization degree value tens of tens of millions of euros (bucks) – earned by way of profitable the Spanish league ultimate season – will have been in peril from the so-called “Caso Negreira” case.
Courtroom paperwork display Barcelona paid 7.3 million euros ($7.7 million) from 2001-18 to the corporate of José María Enríquez Negreira, the previous vice chairman of Spanish football’s refereeing committee.
Prosecutors in Spain officially accused Barcelona of corruption in sports activities, fraudulent control and falsification of industrial paperwork.
Alternatively, no transparent allegations of any explicit fastened video games or referees who have been influenced have emerged since UEFA opened its investigation in March.
UEFA festival regulations require groups to be got rid of from one season of Ecu festival if they’re implicated in solving any home or world recreation since April 2007. Additional disciplinary punishments may additionally practice.
UEFA stated Thursday that Barcelona is now “provisionally admitted to participate” within the Champions League although a “long term resolution on admission/exclusion” remains to be imaginable. The Champions League group-stage draw is on Aug. 31.
Barcelona has constantly denied any wrongdoing or struggle of hobby, pronouncing it paid for technical studies on referees however by no means attempted to steer their choices in video games.
The UEFA investigation was once carried out whilst it’s nonetheless being pursued by way of Barcelona on the Ecu Courtroom of Justice in Luxembourg over the Tremendous League undertaking that failed in 2021.
Barcelona, Actual Madrid and Juventus have argued that UEFA has monopoly keep an eye on blockading rival competitions.