Big boost for Barcelona as Tax Inspection Office finds no malice in Negreira case | Barca Universal

"According to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan Regional Tax Inspection Office has issued a report concluding that the payments made by Barcelona to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira were not intended to bribe referees or influence sporting results. The report acknowledges that payments totalling more than €7.5 million were made between 2001 and 2018. However, it states that these amounts have not been proven to have been used for trading in confidential information, influencing referee appointments, or directly participating in the alteration of match results."

"The findings align with Barcelona's long-standing position that all payments were made in exchange for referee reports and carried no intention to manipulate competition. The report also highlights two significant factors. Firstly, no payment was ever made directly to any referee. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira did not referee any matches during the years in which Barcelona made the payments to him."

"The Tax Agency concluded there is "no evidence whatsoever that he could have influenced results." For Perez, who has staked considerable credibility on pushing the Negreira narrative at UEFA and beyond, this latest report represents a significant setback."

A Catalan Regional Tax Inspection Office report concludes that Barcelona’s payments to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira were not intended to bribe referees or influence sporting results. Payments totaling more than €7.5 million were made between 2001 and 2018, but the report states there is no proof the money was used to trade confidential information, affect referee appointments, or alter match results. The report aligns with Barcelona’s position that payments were made for referee reports without any intention to manipulate competition. It also notes that no payment was made directly to any referee and that Negreira did not referee matches during the payment years. The report states there is no evidence he could have influenced results.

Read at Barca Universal