UEFA, the regulatory and plenipotentiary body of European football, has announced through a statement that it will study the Negreira case to decide if there is a breach of article 31 (4), included in the Ethics and Disciplinary regulations. The article refers to actions that may lead to suspicions of corruption.
UEFA has announced that it has launched an investigation, appointing a series of inspectors, to determine the scope of the case uncovered for more than a month and a half. One of the sanctions that could be derived is the exclusion of the Barcelona club from the dispute of any European competition during the next season, including the Champions League. UEFA is a private body and does not need a final criminal sentence to carry out its sanctions if it considers that a club may affect its reputation or its image. In fact, the teams participate in the competitions by invitation.
Waiting for the reaction that FC Barcelona can offer, the truth is that the UEFA statement adds pressure on the Blaugrana board. Barça and UEFA have maintained tense relations since the Barça club positioned itself in favor of the European Super League, a competition model that UEFA understands as a frontal attack on its interests
The so-called Negreira case responds to legal proceedings opened by a court in Barcelona at the request of the Prosecutor’s Office, which accuses Barcelona of having paid a total of 7 million euros to various companies belonging to José María Enríquez Negreira between 2001 and 2018. Negreira During those payments, he served as vice president of the Technical Committee of Spanish Referees.
UEFA, in its statement, advances that it will give “more information on this matter in due time.”
