2023-04-17 09:48:35
FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta spoke on Monday about the Negreira affair and suspicions of corruption with the refereeing body. The Barça boss firmly denies any cheating and denounces a “gigantic defamation campaign.”
This is a speech that was eagerly awaited. The president of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, had promised to explain himself on Monday on the suspicions of corruption which target his club. Spanish justice is investigating the payment of more than 7.3 million euros made by the Catalan club to José Maria Enriquez Negreira, former referee and ex-vice-president of the technical arbitration committee of the Spanish federation between 1994 and 2018, in exchange of advice on arbitration matters. Since the revelations of the Spanish media in early February, Barça have been trying to defend themselves. Through the voice of his boss, he did so with virulence on Monday during a press conference.
>> Barçagate: live news
“The club has never done anything to influence the referees or the results”
“Barca have never taken any action with the intention of turning a competition in their favour. The club has never done anything to influence the referees or the results.” Laporta denounces an “orchestrated campaign against the prestige of the entity.” According to him, “the prosecution was unable to demonstrate that the payments made to companies linked to Mr. Negreira could influence arbitration appointments or sporting results. They were unable to do so because it was not possible.”
And to counterattack: “Barcelona fans are undergoing a gigantic defamation campaign for defamatory conclusions that have nothing to do with reality. Throughout our 123 years, Barça have been a model of fair play on and off the pitch,” says the Blaugrana boss.
Top Articles
1681726416
#Laporta #denounces #gigantic #defamation #campaign