Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde can face enquiry in the Barcelona-Negreira scandal
Prosecutors looking to go deeper into the scandal as more and more information comes forward
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According to the Spanish media platform, El Pais, former Barcelona managers, Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde can also be subjected to enquiry on Barcelona’s relation with Negreira and his company. The journal reported on Monday that prosecutors are considering questioning the former managers on the referee allegation issues.
Valverde, currently managing Athletic Club, was Barcelona’s manager between 2017 and 2020. His predecessor in the job, Luis Enrique was the coach of the Spanish National team till the last world cup. The prosecutors charged the Catalan giants with corruption and are currently investigating the matter.
Valverde had previously distanced himself from the allegations saying that he never had a single clue of these transactions. However, he echoed the club statement saying that it was a common practice to acquire statistics on the referees who would officiate a match. “I had no idea about them at all. It’s a bit of a surprise for us…well, for me. I’m sure it’ll be cleared up. I don’t remember referee reports but it’s common to have statistics about referees who are going to take charge of your games.”
The Spaniard also went on to say, “how they have dealt with us in previous games, what our results were in those games, whether they show more cards…They were reports that (Jon) Aspiazu (Valverde’s assistant) received. I didn’t even look at them in Barcelona, I didn’t even know they existed.”
Enrique is yet to comment on the allegations. Since conceding his position in the Spanish National team, Lucho has evaded the limelight.
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RFEF launched internal investigation
The Referee association that Negreira was on top of also submitted their documents on Negreira back in February when Cadena Ser first broke the news. The statement, as it read, can be seen as a means to distance itself from the allegations.
The statement read, “Following the elections to the Presidency of the RFEF at the end of May 2018, with the arrival of the current governing team, the leadership of the CTA was renewed, dismissing the previous directors, including Mr. Enríquez Negreira.” The body also claimed that it has launched an internal investigation and has asked the Catalans giants for documents involving the deal with Negreira.
“The Integrity Department initiated yesterday a confidential inquiry by addressing requests to the heads of both the CTA and FC Barcelona,” added the agency. Barcelona is yet to reply to this with a club statement.
Sources close to the matter believe that the prosecutor will only launch a thorough investigation if the charges beckon towards a larger economic mismanagement. Still, the frequency with which the former club president Laporta government is being slated for different accusations is going to make its fans lose confidence in one of the biggest clubs in the world.
The scandal has certainly caused a stir, not just within Spanish football circles but across the world. As the prosecutors continue to investigate this situation, most fans of Barcelona are left wondering what the outcome will be and if their beloved club will be able to come out with its reputation intact.
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Arpan Ghosh
(1403 Articles Published)