FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta accused of bribery in €7.3 million Negreira Scandal

Investigation brings threat of tarnishing Joan Laporta's legacy as club president.

FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta accused of bribery in €7.3 million Negreira Scandal

FC Barcelona's President Joan Laporta (credits-twitter/@barcauniversal)

Barcelona President Joan Laporta has become the recent recipient to be charged with bribery. This happened in the Negreira scandal involving the club’s illicit payments. The Catalan club is under serious investigation for ‘active bribery’ to the referring association vice president Enriquez Negreira.

Joan Laporta joins a list of already troubled Barcelona presidents in Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosel. They are also implicated in the scandal alongside club directors  Oscar Grau and Albert Soler.

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The case judge, Joaquin Aguirre, highlighted that Laporta intentionally committed the same acts of corruption as the subsequent presidents. The seriousness of the allegations underlines that Negreira received 70,000 euros to €700,000  annually for almost 18 years till his resignation.

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Aguirre said, “By logical deduction, the payments made by FC Barcelona satisfied the club’s interests.” This signifies that Barcelona was involved in the bribery of referees, which helped them with match results. The club has yet to comment on the scenario. They have asserted that they made the payments to access technical videos and not for bribery.

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Joan Laporta looks back upon the best decisions he took for Barcelona

Joan Laporta highlighted his bold choice to retain Frank Rijkaard as the team’s manager. Despite the tense atmosphere at the time. This gamble paid off handsomely as Rijkaard guided Barcelona to their first UEFA Champions League victory in over a decade in 2006. This began a glorious era for the club.

Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta. (Image via twitter)

In the second significant decision, Laporta recalled a crucial conversation with Jorge Messi in 2006. This ultimately led to the retention of a young Lionel Messi at the club. This monumental choice profoundly impacted Barcelona’s history. Messi’s presence became synonymous with the club’s success, cementing his status as one of the greatest football players ever.

Lastly, Laporta credited his appointment of Pep Guardiola as the manager, which ushered in an unprecedented period of triumph for Barcelona, including multiple UEFA Champions League titles and the historic sextuple. As Barcelona confronts challenging times, Laporta’s experience, understanding, and influence in football are indispensable assets for navigating the club towards a brighter future.

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