Barcelona is currently facing a formal investigation into suspected bribery related to a two-decade-long probe into activities at Spain's refereeing committee, according to a court document reported by Reuters. The investigating judge, Joaquín Aguirre López, expressed concerns about "possible systemic corruption" that may have benefited Barcelona. In response, Barcelona issued a statement in February denying any wrongdoing.
The investigation initially gained attention in March when prosecutors filed a complaint alleging payments exceeding €7.3 million over 17 years to firms owned by José María Enríquez Negreira, who served as vice-president of the football federation's refereeing committee (CTA) from 1993 to 2018. While Negreira's role involved ranking and evaluating referees, no evidence has been found to suggest that he paid referees to influence match outcomes, as stated by Judge Aguirre in early September.
Negreira, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), and Barcelona have issued immediate comments regarding the investigation. Barcelona claimed in February that they had made payments to an external consultant for "technical reports related to professional refereeing," a practice they considered common among professional football clubs
