Former La Liga referee ready to put his ‘hands in fire’ to defend Barcelona in Negreira case, but hints Joan Laporta laundered money

The club was accused of paying the referees between the years 2001 and 2018.

Former La Liga referee ready to put his ‘hands in fire’ to defend Barcelona in Negreira case, but hints Joan Laporta laundered money

A former La Liga referee has come to the aid of FC Barcelona after the club was accused of corruption. Former owners of the Catalan side reportedly paid a lot of money to the refereeing committee and are currently under investigation for match-fixing.

Speaking about the case, Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez, the former La Liga referee, stated: “I would put my hands in the fire. Barcelona never bought referees. Laporta should explain everything, where the money is. That money has not ended up with any referee. This case isn’t about referees.”

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The Blaugrana were charged with corruption as court documents showed transactions of €7.3 million being made between 2001 and 2018 to the former chief of La Liga’s refereeing committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. The club has since been under investigation, with the court trying to get to the bottom of the allegations.

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How the Negreira case is overshadowing Barcelona’s successful season

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Xavi. Image credits: Instagram

Barcelona have been enjoying a brilliant season in the La Liga as they look set to lift the title by the end of it. However, their domestic success has been overshadowed by the ugly Negreira case.

The case accuses the club of corruption, which has led to the Catalan side being mostly on the negative side of the media. However, club president Joan Laporta has assured the Blaugrana supporters that the club is innocent of all the claims being made by the accusers.

Barcelona currently sits at the top of La Liga with 73 points. They are 11 points clear of second-placed arch-rivals Real Madrid. The leading goal scorer of the league is also Robert Lewandowski, the club’s striker. He is three goals ahead of Real’s Karim Benzema.

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