Izuchukwu Okosi
Barcelona faces a nervous wait to find out if they will be banned from the UEFA Champions League after being accused of paying off officials according to reports.
The report was first made public in March 2023 when state prosecutors in Spain filed formal charges against Barcelona for fabricating financial records, dishonest administration and corruption in sports.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe La Liga champions have now been accused of bribery after a recent raid by the police on the office of the referee committee.
Barcelona has reportedly been accused of bribery by judge Joaquin Aguirre, according to the Spanish publication El Debate.
According to reports, the recent bribery charge could lead to Barcelona’s exclusion from the UEFA Champions League.
Barcelona has reportedly been accused of bribery by judge Joaquin Aguirre, according to the Spanish publication El Debate.
The bribery allegation was said to be in reference with payments of £6 million that were made to José Maria Enruquez Negreira, a former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees.
The former presidents of Barcelona, Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, as well as Negreira and his son Javier Enriquez Romero, have all been prosecuted.
The LaLiga champions are charged with breaking a statute that prohibits officials from getting paid for doing public tasks.
With the recent allegations levelled against Barcelona, they could be banned by the UEFA governing body from participating in Champions League tournaments beginning fe next season.
However, it is not expected that the ban would affect the Blaugrana’s 2006 UEFA Champions League final victory when they defeated Arsenal 2-1 in the final.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
