🚨💣 THE NEGREIRA CASE — FULL RECAP:
• Between 2001 and 2018, FC Barcelona paid approximately €7.3 million to José María Enríquez Negreira.
• Negriera was the Vice-President of Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) — effectively one of the most senior figures inside the Spanish refereeing structure.
• He held that position from 1994 until 2018.
• Barcelona's payments therefore continued for approximately 17 years while Negreira occupied a senior position within the refereeing establishment.
• Payments were made under different Barcelona presidencies:
— Joan Gaspart
— Joan Laporta
— Sandro Rosell
— Josep Maria Bartomeu
• The payments suddenly stopped in 2018 — the same year Negreira left the Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees.
• Barcelona's official explanation is that it paid for "technical reports and scouting information about referees" that they handed over to coaches and coaching staffs to prepare for matches
• However, when investigators called up former Barca coaches such as Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde and asked them about these reports, they said they had NEVER seen them or used them.
• Barcelona therefore spent millions of euros on "reports" that they never used.
• When investigators asked Negreira himself what the millions were for, he said "They paid me to ensure refereeing neutrality."
• When investigators then asked Joan Laporta about Negreira saying "he was paid to ensure refereeing neutrality", Laporta said "We never asked him to do that."
• Investigators examined invoices issued to Barça by to Negreira.
• One invoice dated 30 November 2005 was for €60,000 and described the expenditure as "aloe vera gift pack"
• When prosecutor asked Joan Laporta whether invoices such as this were connected to the alleged referee reports/services, his reply was "I don't know."
• Another invoice, for around €139,000, referred to having selected/digitized footage from the South Africa 2010 World Cup.
• The problem? The 2010 World Cup wasn't even played yet.
• This pattern repeated for multiple internatonal tournaments, where invoices were made before these tournaments were ever played.
• La Liga say the reason they are not sanctioning Barcelona for this scandal, is because the statute of limitations is of 3 years only, and the case was revealed in 2023, which means the statute of limitations has passed.
• The case is now in criminal court.
• UEFA have now launched their own investigation, and they could BAN Barcelona from their competitions if they find them guilty.
🚨 Official: Manchester City Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak statement.
“I have been part of this Club for 18 years. I have had the privilege to stand with you in the Etihad, at Wembley, and in Istanbul. This Club matters to me, and you have shown and told me – time and time again - how much Manchester City matters to you. This is why I am writing to you today”.
“Following Friday’s media reporting, many of you will have spent your evening answering questions and responding to messages from friends, family and colleagues. So have I”.
“Here’s what I said to my family: The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the Club’s innocence is just as strong as when this began”.
“There are so many things that I would like to be able to share with you to help you understand why we feel so confident in our position. But the strict confidentiality of the legal process and our determination to respect it means I cannot do that at the moment. Even this letter underwent several legal checks to make sure it complies”.
“I ask you to please carefully read the statement below, which we gave on Friday, and the statement we issued in February 2023 (also below). Every word matters and holds true”.
“While some people have been quick to reach their own conclusions, and there is so much noise swirling around us, nothing has changed. We have faced challenges together before and have prevailed. There remain many who want to undermine the momentum of our Club. We will not give them that opportunity”.
“We have some exciting moments to look forward to after this international break. We travel to Anfield in a fortnight, and then host Paris St Germain in the Champions League back at Etihad Stadium - moments that give us an opportunity to celebrate the strength of the Manchester City family”.
“Thank you, as always, for your constant support. Khaldoon Al Mubarak”.
🚨 Rodri on Manchester City charges: “The club always press their confidence that they never did something wrong and we believe that”.
“Until the moment they’re proven wrong, we will believe the club. I've been there, I know how they work and cooperate”.
@BeanymanSports 🎥
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Manchester City found guilty on virtually all charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial regulations. #MCFC expected to appeal against verdict issued by independent commission. Sanctions undecided, process ongoing @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/Muxqp4beK9
Each time I watch Nuno Tavares play I wonder what happened to him with us. He is such a good player who should be playing for a top club in a top 5 European league club. https://t.co/xuXLnn8QmG
Pro Ref has admitted an 'error of judgement' in awarding Manchester City's winner at Manchester United in their 1-0 victory at Old Trafford.
Erling Haaland's goal was initially disallowed for offside on the pitch before VAR overturned the decision.