Spain’s referees gathered in Madrid on Thursday to defend their occupation within the wake of a scandal involving Barcelona’s fee of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} over a number of years to a former referee then performing as their vp.
Barcelona denies any wrongdoing and says the cash was for reviews on referees and youth gamers, however a Spanish state prosecutor is probing the enterprise after the nation’s tax officers received concerned.
“We want to make clear that no one has more at stake than we do in assuring that justice is served,” referee Jose Sanchez learn from manifesto within the identify of all the physique of soccer match officers.
The manifesto hoped that the “alleged acts by a person that in his time formed part of this house won’t stain our image and the honor of this great body.”
Several hundred energetic and former referees and referee assistants attended the primary news convention given by the Spanish soccer federation for the reason that scandal was damaged by a Spain’s Cadena SER radio station on February 15.
The referee physique tried to distance itself from the connection between Barcelona and former referee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, who was part of the Spanish soccer federation’s refereeing committee from 1994-2018. Local media reviews say Barcelona’s funds to Enríquez reached 7 million euros ($7.5 million) between 2001 and 2018, after they stopped.
While not confirming the precise figures, Barcelona has acknowledged the common fee to Enríquez throughout these years. The membership has employed an unbiased agency to hold out its personal investigation and is anticipated to provide its extra detailed account of the connection with Enríquez as soon as that’s concluded.
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There have been no reviews from officers or within the media of the funds being linked to favoritism towards Barcelona by referees. Many former referees who had been energetic on the time Enriquez was their vp have stated they by no means obtained any strain from him or different officers. They additionally stated that his function was to tell referees what competitors they’d been designated every season, however not which video games.
Spanish soccer federation secretary normal Andreu Camps, second to president Luis Rubiales, stated on the occasion that his group has complied with requests for data from Spain’s tax workplace and prosecutors and stored UEFA knowledgeable.
