UEFA have confirmed that they are investigating Barcelona over alleged payments made in return for favourable refereeing decisions - and the LaLiga giants could end up being banned from the Champions League should they be found guilty of breaching rules.
The LaLiga giants have been indicted by a Catalan court over “corruption” and “false business records” after prosecutors alleged that they paid €8.4m (£7.4m) to a former vice-chair of the Spanish referee’s committee and his company.
Barca deny any wrongdoing but acknowledge payments were made to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira and his Dasnil 95 firm between 2001 and 2018. The club have said the company was paid as a consultancy who compiled video reports of referees "with the aim of complementing the information required by the coaching staff." Negreira, 77, left his vice-chair role in 2018.
