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Barcelona faces a bribery case in the Spanish courts over a refereeing scandal that may result in a ban from football, at this time their financial stand is shaky, with the Camp Nou being demolished.
What seemed to be a block to a jury trial for Barcelona’s alleged unlawful transactions with Jose Maria Enriquez, former Vice president of the Spanish refereeing committee, was removed on Thursday 28th by a judge who had carefully examined the Public prosecutor’s case against the Club.
Judge Joaquin Lopez ruled that the trial should proceed over the payment of €7.7m to Negreira between 2001 and 2018. A transaction the Club claims to be a “technical Report” on referees. Barcelona is named among the defendants as well as former president Josep Bartomeu, Sandro Rosell, and Negreira’s son Javier Enriquez.
If the goes on and Barcelona is found guilty, the Club could be suspended from functioning as a professional football Club which would put Barcelona’s 124-year-old entity into bankruptcy. The individual sentences could be three to six years imprisonment.
According to Spanish law, the nine-man jury will be set up to decide.
At the moment, Barcelona’s Power house Camp Nou is presently under serious rebuilding after being humbled over the summer to make way for the Espai Barca Complex. Suggestions from some Spanish Media are that there is nervousness among the 20(or there about) investors in the €1.5m project. However, none of the investors have publicly spoken about their concerns over the prospect of a guilty verdict for the club in the Negreira trial. The collapse of Camp Nou would mean the Club is homeless.
The Club also faces a UEFA investigation over the Negreira case. As of now, the club Barcelona and every involved individual charged have denied the charges over the Negreira case. It is however unclear what would play out as the Club’s fate. The charges up ahead of Barcelona may sink the Club if found guilty.