Barcelona sue journalists for defamation over Negreira case

The Catalans are eager to defend their reputation amid serious allegations of corruption.

Barcelona have reportedly filed five lawsuits against journalists over the “Negreira case”.

Prosecutors have charged Barcelona with “continued corruption in business” over their payments to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.

Negreira was the vice president of the Spanish football’s referring committee between 1994 and 2018. The Catalans have made payments to DASNIL 95, a company owned by Enriquez Negreira, between 2001 and 2018.

Investigations began in May 2022 and have escalated dramatically in recent weeks.

According to Sport, Barcelona have prepared five lawsuits against journalists for their role in bringing the Negreira allegations to light.

The Spanish source claims the Catalans are preparing to file nine more lawsuits in the coming weeks. Barcelona have also sent an email address to all their socios to send them defamatory posts published on social media.

The tension between Barcelona and La Liga’s hierarchy has intensified over the Negreira case. La Liga president, Javier Tebas, has repeatedly criticized the Catalan side for their management in recent weeks.

“Laporta should be removed from his position at Barcelona by the President of the Spanish Federation (RFEF),” Tebas said on Tuesday.

Responding to Tebas’ comments, Laporta said: “Some had already warned us that Tebas seemed to be promoting a reputational campaign against Barça and against me. The mask has come off.

“I remember that he is a person who in his career has already demonstrated his animosity towards Barça. Back in 2005, he didn’t want Messi to play for Barca. He does not forgive us for not signing the agreement with CVC.”