2023-04-17 09:37:38
Laporta defends himself against increased payouts in his last term
“In my last year in office, according to an audit, the payments were increased because there was more observation work because there were more sports competitions. There were more reports at the market price. is why it was a higher price in 2009-10.”
Laporta justifies the 7.3 million euros paid to the referees’ committee
“You have to contextualize that this money was given over 18 years. It wasn’t done in a year. It’s 18 years. These were important and necessary reports, made by people with significant careers in this world. The internal investigation found 629 reports and 43 videos. Also four reports on other issues. This alone from 2014 to 2018. I think we should contextualize and clarify that this has been a tremendous amount of work over many years, carried out by competent people. Referring to the fact that he is the vice-president of the CTA, it should be noted that the main provider of these services is the son of Negreira. The vice-president of the CTA did not have the possibility change the results of matches or appoint referees. I insist. This is what the article says. Article 29 of the RFEF says. The hypothesis according to which this man would have had an influence in the refereeing decisions is false. Article 29 of the RFEF refutes it. He says that he does not have standing. He was out of office. This was corroborated by statements from various arbitrators. He was not qualified to alter results or appoint arbitrators.”
Laporta applauded, room for questions from journalists
Joan Laporta makes a final charge against Real Madrid. “It seems to me an exercise in cynicism for Madrid to appear in the case alleging that they felt wronged sportingly in Barca’s most successful period. The board that I have the honor of chairing loves Barca We will act to defend the integrity of Barcelona. Thank you very much.”
He ends his long monologue to the applause of part of the audience, made up of club members. He will now answer questions from journalists.
A not risky attack, according to Laporta
“Nothing is accidental. This campaign comes as Barca start to come out of a tunnel. We have saved Barca financially. We are playing well too. I see here a clear reason to try to destabilize us sportingly. Coincidentally, the campaign also explodes when FCB does not sign the agreement with CVC. We do not bow to their interests. We prefer other options that are much better for the economic interests of Barca. It is obvious that this is not a chance” .
Laporta’s heavy undertones against Real Madrid
“I want to refer to the presence of a club (Real Madrid), on its own, as a private accusation in the trial. A club that says it feels aggrieved. A club that has always been favored by the decisions of arbitration. He was considered the team of the regime. Due to their proximity to political and economic power, I think it is worth remembering that for 7 decades most of the presidents of the CTA (arbitration commission ) have been ex-members, ex-players or ex-managers of Real Madrid. All these years, the people who named those who had to do justice on the pitch, they are ex-partners, ex-players or ex-directors of Real Madrid. In some cases, all of this at the same time. That this club comes forward and says that it feels aggrieved by the best sporting period in the history of FCB… This lawsuit will serve to unmask them. It’s an exercise in unprecedented cynicism.”
Laporta claims to have used “documented services”
“The Negreira case is not a case of sporting corruption. Some services provided were documented. There were invoices and payments recorded in the club’s books. They had passed the relevant tax audits.”
Laporta fears “astronomical” costs in this case
“The moral damages are important, but we give explanations and everything is better understood. Our legal department has taken legal action against those who attack Barcelona. These damages can be for astronomical amounts.”
Laporta denounces an attack on Catalonia “from the spheres of power”
“What the instigators of this controversy want is to redirect a non-existent business of buying referees, in a business that damages the reputation of the FCB and destroys, incidentally, one of the strongest identity elements of the Catalonia, which is FCB. The spheres of power do not support that Barça represents a type of Catalan identity.”
Laporta remembers Rubiales and Infantino
“On the other hand, there are people who have behaved with the caution and responsibility that their position requires. For example, the president of the Federation, the president of the CSD (higher sports council). M . Rubiales and Mr. Franco. Also to President Infantino, who maintained the attitude of his position. They did not sign for the lynching without a trial. I appreciate their position.”
Laporta tackles Tebas for his ‘lack of professionalism’
“I would like to point out the president of the LFP, who showed an obvious lack of professionalism. He provided incriminating documentation with data that was erroneous. I ask him to put up with this verbal incontinence. It does not help not the competition it represents and validates an assumption that is false.”
Laporta denounces the outburst on Twitter
“This lynching is not acceptable. We are putting the reputation of the club, the refereeing and the credibility of the football world at risk. There are people who, in an intolerable way, have made statements of great irresponsibility. “
Laporta brought his files
Laporta now walks around the platform and presents four large files from which he takes out sheets which he presents as elements of the preliminary report of the investigation.
“What gives me confidence to go before you is to have waited for the compliance department to do its job, he says. This means empowering the people of the club. We have strengthened this department in the sense of international jurisprudence and standards in this case”.
Laporta reads the findings of the preliminary report of the internal investigation
“We commissioned an internal investigation which was entrusted to an external office. Now I would like to read the conclusions of this preliminary report”
Barça is “a victim” in this case
“Barça would be a victim and not responsible for any crime. It is important to say that. Within the Prosecutor’s Office it also seems that they are working in this direction. Barça would be an injured person. Since 2016, Barça has set up a Compliance department. What gives me confidence is that these professionals have done their job. This department tries to detect any irregular conduct within the entity. Under my chairmanship, we have strengthened this area along the lines established by the most recent case law in this area. We have provided this area with more resources.”
Laporta recognizes payments integrated into the accounts
“They stated this professional advice. We did so with clarity and transparency. This advice existed and there were invoices paid by bank transfer and it was recorded in the accounts and the relevant tax reviews were passed in relation to my mandate as 2003 to 2010. There was no intention to hide things. In this sense, I think it is important to point out another problem. Another question will be decided by the court. There are individuals or an entity outside the club, which is essential, maybe some people have taken advantage of this context to engage in irregular behavior for their own benefit. If this were the case, Barcelona would defend the honor of the club. We want that it is studied until the end. Barcelona would be victims of this situation.”
For Laporta, justice could not demonstrate corruption
“The prosecution was unable to demonstrate that 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. C This is a categorical assertion. The specific subject of the controversy is the technical opinion of refereeing given by people who have made a career in the world of football and in the world of refereeing bodies. This in itself does not constitute anything ‘illegal. Let alone something illegal in criminal proceedings.’
Laporta promises greater club transparency on this matter
“When this Negreira affair came out, I immediately left and said that I clearly saw that it was an orchestrated campaign against the prestige of the entity and that it was not by chance. And what we have done is to order a compliance investigation, which in turn ordered it to an external office to make it happen with the utmost transparency We let them work and now we have more information because it is happened when we weren’t at the club.”
Laporta denies referee bribery charges
“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 a “gigantic defamation campaign”
“As the highest representative of FC Barcelona, I address Barça supporters and public opinion to explain the ‘Negreira case’. This is a subject that requires deep reflection due to the controversy he has sparked.Barcelona fans are suffering a gigantic smear 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. We have contributed a lot to football and sport. We have won for decades and we continue to win thanks to the effort, knowledge and talent of our players, coaches and workers”.
Laporta begins his speech
Joan Laporta, president of FC Barcelona, takes the floor and recalls that Barça is “an institution of values” which likes “to win by playing well”.
Hello everyone
As desired by the boss of La Liga Javier Tebas, the president of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, will speak this Monday at a press conference on the Negreira affair, which concerns potential arbitration corruption which agitates Barça. The president of the Catalan club is expected at 11 a.m. for his speech.
As a reminder, Barca are accused of paying money to the former vice-president of the referees commission, José Maria Enriquez Negreira, through his own company.
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