Aleksander Ceferin says Barcelona referee scandal is “one of the most serious” he’s ever seen
The UEFA boss reiterated that there is “nothing time-barred” when it comes to the ‘Caso Negreira’ investigation.
Aleksander Ceferin, head of European football’s governing body, has reiterated the severity of the refereeing scandal currently engulfing Barcelona.
The Catalan club paid over €7 million to Jose Maria Enrique Negreira over a period of 18 years, during which time he was the vice president of Spain’s refereeing committee.
On Monday UEFA boss Ceferin told Slovenian newspaper Ekipa: “The situation is extremely serious.”
“It is so serious that, in my opinion, it is one of the most serious in football that I have ever seen,” he said.
Earlier this year the Spanish prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into the club’s payments to Negreira, which Barcelona officials claim were made to purchase “technical reports on refereeing.”
In March UEFA followed suit and opened a separate investigation into the scandal. In a statement realised last month, Ceferin’s organisation said that it would “conduct an investigation regarding a potential violation of UEFA’s legal framework by Barcelona in connection with the so-called ‘Caso Negreira.’”
La Liga cannot investigate Negreira payments
In the Ekipa interview Ceferin also briefly outlined the state of the UEFA investigation into the payments. However he sought to distance himself from the mechanics of the ongoing investigation.
“I cannot comment directly on this for two reasons,” Ceferin said, when asked about the specifics of the case. “Firstly, because we have an independent disciplinary committee in charge of this. And secondly, because I have not dealt with this matter in detail.
While the Spanish prosecutor is engaging in a criminal investigation, the Spanish league is blocked from introducing its own probe. La Liga has a three-year statute of limitations and, given that the last payment was made in 2018, cannot investigate ‘Caso Negreira’.
“At the level of [La Liga], of course, the matter is time-barred and can have no competitive consequences,” Ceferin explained. “But the proceedings are ongoing at the level of prosecutors. But as far as UEFA is concerned, there is nothing time-barred.”
However there is nothing stopping Spain’s other sporting institutions from joining with the prosecutor’s office investigation. Real Madrid, Spain’s Higher Sports Council (CSD) and a number of other top flight clubs have all indicated that they will join the case.
All La Liga clubs, with the exception of Barcelona, signed a statement condemning the club’s actions.