Barcelona Refereeing Scandal: One Of Football’s Most Serious Offences, Says UEFA Chief Ceferin. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said they launched an investigation into a potential violation of UEFA’s legal framework. Barcelona made payments to a company owned by a senior refereeing official. He believed the situation was very serious, one of the most serious incidents in football he had seen. However, he couldn’t comment on it directly as an independent disciplinary committee handled it.
About The Barcelona Refereeing Scandal
Barcelona is being investigated for allegedly paying €7.3 million ($7.96 million) to firms owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, who was the vice president of the refereeing committee of the Spanish Football Association from 2001 to 2018. Ceferin acknowledged that the situation is serious but could not discuss it in detail.
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Ceferin stated that the issue wouldn’t affect the competitiveness of the Spanish league since it was outdated. The Spanish civil prosecutor’s office was still investigating, but UEFA wasn’t restricted by any time limits. In February, Barcelona denied wrongdoing and explained they had paid an external consultant for technical reports on professional refereeing – a common practice among football clubs.
Other Updates Regarding Ceferin And Barcelona
On April 5, UEFA is going to hold a meeting in Lisbon where Ceferin is expected to be re-elected as president of the football’s governing body. Despite the European Super League project overshadowing his second term, the 55-year-old Slovenian lawyer, who was elected in 2016 following Michel Platini’s downfall, will be assured of another four years in the role.
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A few weeks after Gianni Infantino’s uncontested re-election as FIFA president, the UEFA Congress will take place in Lisbon.
Although Infantino abandoned the idea of hosting the World Cup every two years due to Ceferin’s opposition, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus are still pursuing their plans for a European Super League.
The European Court of Justice has received a lawsuit against UEFA and FIFA accusing them of abusing their power by threatening to expel clubs and players interested in joining a breakaway league.
