Barcelona is dealing with a brand new authorized risk from UEFA, together with a attainable Champions League ban, due to its funds of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to an organization linked to a Spanish refereeing official.
The European soccer physique requested Thursday for an investigation into the matter, which is already being pursued by prosecutors in Spain.
Champions League rules in impact since April 2007 permit UEFA to ban groups from the competitors for one season in the event that they have been concerned in fixing matches.
UEFA stated Thursday it requested disciplinary inspectors to “conduct an investigation regarding a potential violation of UEFA’s legal framework by FC Barcelona in connection with the so-called ‘Caso Negreira.’”
Court paperwork present Barcelona paid 7.3 million euros ($7.7 million) from 2001-18 to the corporate of José María Enríquez Negreira, the previous vp of Spanish soccer’s refereeing committee.
Prosecutors in Spain have formally accused Barcelona of corruption in sports activities, fraudulent administration and falsification of enterprise paperwork. An investigating choose will resolve if it will result in expenses.
No proof has but been printed that referees or particular person video games have been truly influenced.
Barcelona has persistently denied any wrongdoing or battle of curiosity, saying it paid for technical experiences on referees however by no means tried to affect their choices in video games.
Any proof of manipulated video games previously 16 years might see UEFA exclude Barcelona from its competitions for one yr and prosecute a disciplinary case.
Barcelona has a 12-point lead within the Spanish league and is sort of sure to qualify for subsequent season’s Champions League — an entry that will pay tens of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to a membership that posted document losses final yr.
Source web site: www.hindustantimes.com
