Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde called as witnesses in Barcelona corruption case

In the background of Spanish football, on the day that it was made public that the board of the Referees Committee had been sacked, rumbles the Negreira case. The corruption probe, in which former CTA Vice-President Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira and Barcelona stand accused of sporting corruption, is moving closer to a trial.

The case, which dominated headlines when it first emerged in 2022, has seen the authorities investigate a series of payments made to various companies in which Negreira was involved over a period of 17 years between 2001 and 2018, which total between €7m and €8m. Barcelona have denied any wrongdoing, claiming that Negreira was hired on a consultancy basis.

As reported by EFE and quoted by MD, former Barcelona managers Ernesto Valverde and Luis Enrique will called to the stand by the prosecution to testify in the trial. The current Athletic Club coach was in charge between 2017 and 2020, while the Paris Saint-Germain manager was in charge of the Blaugrana for the three seasons before. The prosecution are keen to get testimony on the effectiveness of the refereeing reports that Barcelona received from Negreira.

Current President Joan Laporta will also be called to the stand. Originally Laporta was under investigation as part of the corruption probe, but has been dropped from the case as his involvement was outwith the statute of limitations. However the prosecution consider that hsi testimony on the motive behind contracting Negreira will be significant to their case.

It is still not clear when the case will be brought to trial. The Courts in Barcelona recently granted an extension to the investigation, as they seek statements from some of those involved. That includes former presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, who are due to speak with the authorities in September.