Barcelona could be denied entry to the UEFA Champions League if they are found guilty of corruption and trying to fix match results.
Spanish prosecutors formally filed corruption charges against Barcelona on Friday in the wake of the Negrera scandal.
Although it was previously only reported that Barca had paid Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice president of Spain’s refereeing committee, for information and analysis on certain match officials, the allegations suggest that There was intent to gain an unfair sporting advantage in exchange for Favorable decisions.
“Through Presidents [Sandro] Rosell et al [Josep Maria] Bartomeu, Barcelona entered into and maintained a strict confidentiality oral agreement with Defendant Negrera, so that, in his capacity as Vice President of the Refereeing Committee and for a fee, he would act in favor of Barcelona in decision-making. referees in matches played by the club, and thus in the results of competitions,” said Spanish prosecutors.
Although La Liga president Javier Tebas has insisted Barcelona cannot be punished by the Spanish football system because the charges relate to activities dating back three years, UEFA could still take action.
Marca has reported that Barca could be barred from entering the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League before the case is decided due to potential damage to UEFA’s reputation.
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Officially, UEFA can bar teams from entering competitions based on historic match-fixing allegations dating back to 2007 – a much longer limit than La Liga.
Article 4.01, Section G of the UEFA Champions League Regulations reads: “To be eligible to participate in the competition, clubs must not be directly and/or indirectly involved, as Article 50(3) of the UEFA Regulations ) since its entry into force i.e. 27 April 2007, in any activity aimed at fixing or influencing the outcome of a match at national or international level and confirm the same in writing to the UEFA administration.”
Barcelona are almost certain to qualify for next season’s Champions League through their La Liga finish, nine points clear at the top of La Liga.