La Liga president Javier Tebas has confirmed that Barcelona could be demoted to the Segunda Division if allegations of bribing referees is proven to be true.
While they have been caught up in a refereeing scandal with Spanish prosecutor already set to drag them on, they Blaugrana have already been told to reduce their debt by €200 million if they want to compete in La Liga next season.
Barcelona has been accused of paying the former vice president of the refereeing committee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira €7 million between 2001 and 2018 – during which time they won nine La Liga titles.
“I don’t believe that Barca bought referees, but there has been a situation that requires a clear explanation,” Javier told La Vanguardia as part of their ‘defence of the European football ecosystem’ panel.
“The sanction for buying referees? Very serious. Relegation to the second division, multi-million fines. The reputational damage done to Barcelona and La Liga is very important.”
On the log, Barca are nine points clear of defending champions Madrid after 25 games played.
And while they continue to impress on the pitch, It has been a whole lot of controversy rearing its head from finance and allegations of corruption.
