Barcelona president Laporta charged with suspected bribery

Joan Laporta and the board from his first spell as FC Barcelona president are under investigation for alleged bribery.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta is facing charges of suspected bribery.

The charges regard payments Laporta made to companies associated with the former vice president of the refereeing committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, during his first term as president from 2003 to 2010.

According to Spanish outlet EFE, the investigation has now included Laporta and his board, extending the probe to the final two years of his initial presidency.

Barcelona made payments exceeding €7 million to Negreira’s companies between 2001 and 2018. Laporta has claimed these payments were for “technical reports about referees”. He has also denied any involvement in manipulating referees.

The initial bribery charges targeted former presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, along with Negreira and his son, Javier Enriquez Romero.

This follows Barcelona’s prior charges in March. These included allegations of corruption in sports, business, mismanagement, and document forgery.

Barca will return to action on Sunday at home to Athletic Club in LaLiga.