Gerard López, who coaches the Catalan national team and previously managed at Barcelona B, has given testimony that aligns with FC Barcelona’s version of events in the “Negreira case,” according to Spanish news agency EFE.
López said that he read referee reports compiled by former Technical Committee of Referees vice president José María Enríquez Negreira during López’s time with the B team, now called Barcelona Atlètic.
His account was backed by former reserve-team delegate Toni Alonso.
The case centers
around payments made by the club to Negreira, who was not a referee at the time, but held a high-ranking post within the referee’s committee. Prosecutors allege this money, around €8.4 million over 17 years, was used by Barça to get favorable refereeing appointments, though this theory has yet to be proven in court. Barcelona have long argued the money was simply paid in exchange for reports about referees.
Former first-team managers Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde testified that they never saw these reports, but López and Alonso’s contrasting accounts backs up the club’s official stance.
The latter two reportedly testified that prior to the introduction of VAR, the tendencies of particular referees were even more important. That became critical when playing in lower leagues, where Barcelona B are forced to play, because referees outside the first division were less known.
It’s up for debate how much power Negreira had over referee appointments. The prosecution also has yet to prove that any particular match or decision was changed due to the payments.
Previously, a Spanish court had dropped bribery charges against the club, though prosecutors are still pursuing a charge of “sports corruption.” In addition, Barcelona executives, Negreira himself, and their associates are facing charges of breach of trust, false business documentation, and money laundering.
After almost four years, the Negreira case is nearing its end. The investigation phase has ended and the case is expected to become a trial with oral arguments soon.
