In a stunning condemnation that has sent shockwaves through European football, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has described Barcelona's payments to a former refereeing official as "shameful" and potentially the most serious case of its kind he has ever witnessed.
The powerful football administrator didn't mince words when addressing the ongoing 'Negreira case,' where Barcelona faces allegations of making payments totalling approximately €7 million to the former vice-president of Spain's refereeing committee, José María Enríquez Negreira.
'The Worst Thing I've Seen in Football'
"The situation is extremely serious," Ceferin stated in an exclusive interview. "It's so serious that, in my opinion, it's one of the most serious incidents I've seen in football."
What makes Ceferin's comments particularly significant is that this marks the first time the UEFA president has spoken so forcefully about the scandal that has engulfed one of Europe's most prestigious football clubs.
Potential European Ban Looms
While Spanish football authorities investigate the matter domestically, Ceferin confirmed that UEFA is closely monitoring developments and could impose its own sanctions. This raises the spectre of Barcelona facing exclusion from European competitions like the Champions League.
"We await the outcome of their investigation," Ceferin explained, "but we have our own disciplinary bodies that could take action independently."
Barcelona's Defence Falls on Deaf Ears
The Catalan club has maintained that they paid Negreira for technical reports on refereeing matters, not to influence match officials. However, Ceferin appeared unconvinced by this explanation, suggesting the very nature of the payments created an unacceptable conflict of interest.
"When you pay money to the vice-president of the refereeing committee... it's very difficult to argue you were paying for mere reports," he noted pointedly.
The strong stance from UEFA's top official signals that European football's governing body is prepared to take decisive action, potentially affecting Barcelona's participation in continental competitions regardless of the outcome in Spanish courts.
