Izuchukwu OkosiBarcelona on Friday was hit with corruption charges by Spanish Prosecutors over payments made to the former Vice-president of Spain’s referees’ committee.
Former Barcelona presidents, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Russell are also facing corruption charges.
Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, who held that role between 1994 and 2018, is also facing charges of corruption in a case brought by the Spanish public prosecutor’s office, as is Josep Maria Bartomeu, Barca president from 2014-2020, and Sandro Rosell, president from 2010-2014.
At a court in Barcelona on Friday it was stated that Barcelona have been indicted for corruption, a breach of trust and false business records, with former club officials and Negreira himself, also being indicted.
Between 2001 and 2018 Barcelona reportedly paid Negreira and a company he owns £ 7.4 million.
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As well as the club itself, former Barcelona presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell are also being targeted by the lawsuit, which is being brought by the Barcelona public prosecutor’s office.
Laporta insisted that he will not step down and also claimed that Barcelona had never bought referees.
Barcelona manager Xavi stated last month that he had no knowledge of the payments.
Xavi said: ‘I always wanted to win, but fairly. If I thought we were cheating I’d have gone home.’
The payments emerged after tax authorities investigated Negreira’s company Dasnil 95.
Between 2016 and 2018 Barcelona made payments to the company totalling £ 1.2 million, while between 2001 and 2018 they paid Negreira about £ 6.2 million.
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.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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