Ex-Barça presidents deny bribing referees in their testimony in Negreira case

Two former FC Barcelona presidents testified in court on Thursday at Barcelona’s Palace of Justice in connection with the 'Negreira case.'

Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu are under investigation over alleged corruption involving former referee José María Enríquez Negreira.

The judge is examining payments totaling €7.5 million made by the club to Negreira between 2001 and 2018, during which he served as vice president of the Spanish Referees’ Technical Committee (CTA).

In their testimonies, both former presidents denied ever bribing referees, insisting the payments were solely for referee analysis reports to help prepare the team for matches.

They further argued that during their terms, from 2014 until the reports ended in 2018, Barcelona had no need to influence referees, as the squad’s quality was sufficient to win titles on its own.

Addressing the press after his testimony, Bartomeu defended his explanation for the payments, reiterating that they brought no refereeing advantages to the team.

"Barça paid for sports consultancy, referee advice, and there were reports and documentation, which is why the payments were made," he said. "Many of the theories that have emerged over the past two years have largely been dispelled today."

Bartomeu's lawyer, José María Fuster-Fabra, insisted that neither of the two alleged crimes had been committed: not mismanagement, since the reports paid for were delivered, nor sporting corruption, as there is neither testimony nor evidence suggesting that referees were bribed.

“No one has stated that Negreira made payments to any referee to influence results, and since the reports were delivered in return for payment, there is no crime of sporting corruption here,” he said. 

Rosell made no comments to the media after leaving court. According to judicial sources, he told the judge that Barça already had enough quality —with players like Lionel Messi and Gerard Piqué— to win titles, including European ones, where Negreira had no influence.

He also argued that the payments made to Negreira’s son could not have been used to bribe referees, since each report cost €250.

However, judicial sources noted that during Bartomeu’s presidency, which followed Rosell’s from 2014 to 2020 (although the payments ended in 2018), Negreira’s son was receiving €6,000 per month.

In fact, Negreira’s son, who also testified in court on the same day, confirmed that he had received a total of €60,000 from Barça. 

Javier Enríquez also stated that he prepared reports for other clubs, such as Villarreal, and that the price paid by Barça was in line with market rates.

Both Rosell and Bartomeu told the judge that the payments had already been in place when they assumed the presidency and were continued because club staff considered them useful.

Meanwhile, Ana Paula Rufas, Negreira’s wife, was summoned to testify. She appeared at court but chose not to give a statement.

The club's former directors, Albert Soler and Òscar Grau, also appeared in court on Thursday to give their statements, testifying in line with Bartomeu and Rosell.