Court Charges Barcelona President Joan Laporta in Referee Scandal
The Spanish court announced on Wednesday that Barcelona president Joan Laporta faces charges as part of the probe into alleged bribes paid to referees.
The club itself, along with two of its former presidents, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, as well as the former head of Spain's referees body, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, and his son, have already faced charges.
Laporta, in particular, is facing charges related to his initial term as president of Barcelona from 2003 to 2010.
In the report released on Wednesday, the lead investigator stated that, in his opinion, Laporta could not escape the statute of limitations due to the gravity of the allegations.
Negreira purportedly received over seven million euros ($7.5 million) from Barcelona between 2001 and 2018 through companies that supposedly generated refereeing reports for the club.
Barcelona, a 27-time Spanish champion, has been battling these accusations for months and strongly denies any wrongdoing.
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