Javier Tebas attacks Barça again for the 'Negreira case': "There is sports corruption"

Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, has launched a new attack against FC Barcelona again. On this occasion, he did so during his appearance before the Commission of Education, Vocational Training and Sports of the Congress of Deputies, where he once again addressed the controversial 'Negreira case' and the alleged role of the Azulgrana team in it. Without hesitation, the Spanish-Costa Rican president assured that Barça incurred in "sports corruption".

"We were the first to appear and we are going all the way. I have said it, there is sports corruption. Referees were not bought, but trying to influence the promotions and relegations of referees is sports corruption," declared the president.

• 📌 What is the 'Negreira case' investigating?: The case revolves around the payments of 7.5 million euros that the Catalan team would have made, between 2001 and 2018, to José María Enríquez Negreira, former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), and his son, Javier Enríquez Romero, through several companies linked to both. The investigation seeks to clarify whether these alleged payments were intended to influence arbitration decisions in favor of the Culé club.

Tebas rules out the administrative relegation of Barça

Despite his accusations, Tebas rejected the idea that Barcelona should face an administrative relegation, although he compared it to the case of Real Murcia, which was relegated in 2014 due to financial problems. "I don't know if you are comparing Murcia with Barcelona. Murcia's case was due to non-payments. We are strict," he argued.

• 📌What happened to Real Murcia in 2014?: The Murcian team was relegated to Segunda B for failing to comply with the economic-financial ratios required by the Professional Football League.

Criticism of the RFEF and defense of LaLiga in the Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor case

The president of LaLiga also had words to recall the controversy generated by the signings of Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor by the Barcelona team and their subsequent registration. Tebas defended the position of the employers in this case and criticized that the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) lacked anti-corruption rules like the ones he has promoted.

"In LaLiga we are certified by AENOR. If those rules had been in the Federation, nothing of what we have seen in the Majadahonda court would have happened. But certain institutions get hives when talking about 'compliance'. We try to set an example."

He also explained that he has requested that to occupy positions in the RFEF, such as vice president, the AENOR certification in compliance standards be required, to prevent irregularities in contracting and commissions.

Harsh attack by Tebas on Florentino Pérez for the European Super League

The president did not miss the opportunity to once again attack against the European Super League and point to the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, as the main promoter of the project. "The Super League comes from the company A22. Really, who is behind it is not Real Madrid as a club, but Florentino Pérez. He is the one who leads it. The CJEU resolution condemns UEFA and FIFA for dominant position, but it must be analyzed well," he began by saying.

He comparecido en el Congreso de los Diputados (@Congreso_Es) ante la 'Comisión de Educación, Formación Profesional y Deportes' para alertar de la amenaza de las nuevas competiciones al modelo actual de la industria del fútbol profesional.
Si la Superliga entrará en vigor... 👇… pic.twitter.com/1xOUYspLN8

— Javier Tebas Medrano (@Tebasjavier) May 13, 2025

According to the president of LaLiga, the development of the Super League would have devastating economic consequences for European professional football and, especially, for Spanish football. In turn, he warned that, if the Super League project is consolidated, the impact on national competitions would be significant. "In Europe there are more than 40 professional leagues, more than 75,140 workers, more than 68,000 players and audiovisual revenues of 20,000 million euros. All this is at risk. If the Super League were implemented in Spain, we would receive 1,160 million euros less, 32%," he concluded.