Following the revelation that the club paid millions of dollars to companies connected to a Spanish refereeing official. UEFA are allegedly aiming to decide by June whether Barcelona will be barred from participating in the Champions League the following season.
Prosecutors have accused Barcelona of corrupt behavior. In relation to alleged payments made by the team to the vice-president of the Spanish referees’ committee at the time.
Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, who worked for the club. He is alleged to have engaged in behavior that “would lead to Barcelona being favorably treated in the decision-making of the referees” in return for payment.
According to the indictment, the club paid Negreira’s companies DASNIL and NILSAT a combined total of €7.3 million (£6.46 million).
Last month, UEFA asked for its own inquiry into the matter. If match-fixing violations are discovered, the governing body has the power to bar teams from the Champions League for one season.
According to Spanish publication Marca, UEFA have appointed investigators Mirjan Koller and Jean-Samuel Leuba. They are to perform a speedy investigation to conclude the case before the competition the following season.
According to reports, the ruling body wishes to decide Barcelona’s status by the end of June.
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UEFA president, Aleksander Ceferin spoke about the incident. He also talked about the ‘seriousness of the case.’
‘I have been informed and the situation is extremely serious. It is so serious that, in my opinion, it is one of the most serious in football that I have seen,’ Ceferin told the Slovenian newspaper Ekipa.
Ceferin stated that he was unable to speak further on the situation. Because an independent disciplinary committee was conducting the investigation.
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