- Barca accused of €1.5m referee payments
- Tebas called for Laporta to explain or resign
- Barca president accused Tebas of "tarnishing history"
WHAT HAPPENED? Barca have been accused of making 33 payments to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, a former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees, between 2016 and 2018, amounting to a €1.5 million outlay. While La Liga cannot investigate the club due to the situation falling outside their statute of limitations, on Monday Tebas demanded that Laporta explain the nature of the payments or else resign.
WHAT THEY SAID: The Barca president offered a defiant response to Tebas' comments on Tuesday, stating: "That is for the club's members to decide. Anyone who tries to tarnish the history and image of Barcelona will receive a strong response.
"Some had already warned us that it seemed Tebas was pushing a reputational campaign against Bara and against me. The mask has come off. He continues with his obsession with Barca, with his fear of our club. His intention is to control Barca from a distance, which is what he has been doing in recent years."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The "obsession" Laporta cites refers to the countless encounters between the two since his appointment as Barca president in March 2021. Under the Catalan's direction, Barcelona have staunchly opposed the league's strict financial controls, which led to Lionel Messi's departure in 2021 and resurfaced once again this year following the disputed contract extensions of Gavi and Ronald Araujo. Barcelona also infamously spearheaded the breakaway European Super League in 2021, and formed an alliance with Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao against the league's deal with private equity firm CVC that same year.
AND WHAT'S MORE: It is not just Tebas who has has stood up to Barcelona in this instance, though. 18 of the 20 La Liga clubs issued a statement on Tuesday "rejecting and condemning the facts" while also expressing a "deep concern" for the situation. Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas and Andalusian giants Sevilla also personally weighed on the situation, meanwhile Laporta has promised that the club will continue its own internal investigation into matters.
Next Match
IN TWO PHOTOS:
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR BARCA? As the never-ending war between Laporta and Tebas rages on, the Blaugrana are back in action on Thursday night in a blockbuster Europa League clash against Manchester United, with the tie delicately poised from the first leg.