Barcelona President Joan Laporta Faces Bribery Charges in High-Profile Negreira Case

In the most recent development in the Negreira Case, Joan Laporta, the president of Barcelona, is accused of bribery. Football fans have been on the edge of their seats as a result of this legal saga.

Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, two former presidents of Barcelona, were accused of bribery back in September. Laporta’s name, however, had not previously come up. The most recent development, as reported by EFE, shows that the judge has decided not to consider the charges, which date from Laporta’s first term as president, to be time-barred.

Barcelona ultimately paid José Mara Enrquez Negreira’s businesses more than €7.3 million. Enriquez Negreira served as the vice president of the Spanish Football Federation’s refereeing committee from 1993 to 2018.

2003 to 2010 made up Laporta’s first term as Barcelona’s mayor. Judge Joaquin Aguirre López, who is conducting the investigation, has now included Laporta in it.

Barcelona and Laporta have vehemently denied any wrongdoing in relation to the Negreira scandal, saying that everything has been staged as part of a smear campaign. The situation has become more contentious as a result of Barcelona and Laporta publicly criticizing Sevilla for their recent decision to skip a match at Montjuic due to their “complete outrage” over the Negreira scandal.

It’s still unclear how this messy situation will turn out in the end. The Athletic’s experts, however, advise that the most likely outcome of a guilty verdict for Barcelona would be a fine. Football fans are keeping a close eye on the drama as it develops.