Enriquez Negreira, formerly vice-president of the Spanish FA's Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), received £1.2million from the Catalan giants between 2016 and 2018, allegedly for providing advice how to get better treatment from referees. And current official Xavier Estrada Fernandez has sued the 77-year-old for sporting corruption or receiving fraudulent payments in the latest twist to the high-profile affair which embroils Barcelona and its president Joan Laporta.
The lawsuit was presented in the courts in Barcelona on Friday and alleges that Enriquez Negreira provided advice and services 'with the aim of securing refereeing decisions favourable to the interests of FC Barcelona' while he was CTA vice-president, in different seasons from 2003 to 2018. The document shows he was paid around £1.2m by Barcelona via his company DASNIL 95 SL between 2016 and 2018, meaning he was on the payroll of one of the clubs while carrying out a supposedly neutral role for the governing body. Estrada's case is also brought against Enriquez Negreira's son Javier Enríquez Romero, who managed the company and who provided 'coaching' services to active referees when taking them from their hotel to the stadium. Estrada previously worked as a referee in LaLiga, Spanish football's top flight, but has worked as a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) since the 2021-2022 season.
Enriquez Negreira has denied ever favouring Barcelona with refereeing decisions, while the club have admitted hiring an 'external consultant' who provided reports on 'professional refereeing'. Spanish outlet El Pais report that his company sent Barcelona a written report and DVD with video analysis discussing the profile of their upcoming referee before every LaLiga and Copa del Rey game. LaLiga said on Friday it cannot investigate cases from more than three years ago, seemingly ruling out punishments like Barcelona being docked points or titles being removed. But prosecutors' investigations are ongoing and criminal charges may be brought. On Thursday, newspaper El Mundo presented documents which said Barca had paid DASNIL 95 SL more than £5.8m from 2001. El Mundo also revealed a burofax Enriquez Negreira sent to the club in 2018 after Barcelona halted payments, in which he said he would bring about a 'scandal' by 'revealing with no hesitation all the irregularities from the club I've lived through first-hand', unless payments began again. He added: 'I have the firm intention to sue the club, which would bring negative consequences for FC Barcelona.' Enriquez Negreira started working as a top-flight referee in 1979 and rose up the ranks to become CTA vice-president by 1994. He told Spanish tax authorities last week Barcelona paid him 'to make sure no refereeing decisions were made against them, which is to say, for everything to be neutral'. Barcelona, for their part, claim they have launched their own probe into the matter.
Source: Daily Mail
