The FC Barcelona payment scandal involving Enriquez Negreira continues to make headlines. With new theories emerging regarding the purpose of the payments. According to Sport, there is an increasingly accepted theory within the club that the payments were made to funnel money back to directors within the Barcelona board and other third parties. However, these claims are yet to be substantiated by any evidence. As is the claim that FC Barcelona bought off referees.
The New Theory
The case against FC Barcelona is complex and convoluted, with many unanswered questions. As Sergio Vinas writes, there are two significant holes in the argument. That the payments were made to funnel money back to the Barcelona board. Firstly, Negreira is a bizarre choice of intermediary to carry out the operations, given the conflict of interests. Secondly, it would make something of a coincidence if Negreira’s role ended just as he lost his position in the Referees Committee by chance too.
FC Barcelona and its Image
Despite the lack of concrete evidence, Barcelona’s image continues to suffer as the case drags on. The Spanish footballing authority, La Liga and UEFA are both investigating the matter. With the former even approaching FIFA to seek a probe against the Catalan club. This indicates the growing animosity between the two parties and how Barcelona’s stance on the European Super League has led to increased scrutiny from the Spanish footballing authority.
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Conclusion
At this point, it is unclear how the case against Barcelona will develop. The club has remained mostly silent on the matter. Reports suggest that Joan Laporta may hold a press conference in the coming weeks to offer explanations and evidence in favour of the club. However, until the authorities provide more detailed explanations, complete the public investigation, and present concrete evidence, uncertainty will continue to shroud the entire case.
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