FILE – FC Barcelona club President Joan Laporta pauses during a news conference in Barcelona, Spain, on Aug. 6, 2021. Spanish state prosecutors have formally accused Barcelona soccer club of corruption because of its payments of large sums of money for several years to the vice president of the refereeing committee. The decision has been made official on Friday, March 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort, File)
MADRID (AP) — The Spanish soccer federation has joined the long list of entities deciding to take legal action against Barcelona in the corruption case.
Prosecutors last week formally accused Barcelona of alleged corruption, fraudulent management and falsification of documentation in regard to payments of millions of euros for more than a decade to a company that belonged to the vice president of the country’s refereeing committee.
A judge ordered the accusations to be investigated, and prosecutors specialized in anticorruption were handling the case.
Others siding against the club include the Spanish government, the Spanish league, Real Madrid and more clubs. They will all be accusing parties in the proceedings over the controversial payments that have shocked Spanish soccer.
The federation said on Thursday it sent a report to UEFA about why it was going against Barcelona. It said it has been contributing with authorities, and has started its own investigation.
It called for “serenity” in the world of soccer to “help reduce the tensions” surrounding the refereeing collective in Spain.
[Source: apnews.com]