Barcelona as an institution will appear in court facing charges of sporting corruption, due to the series of payments made to two companies owned by former Vice-President of the Referees Committee (CTA) Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira over a period of 17 years. The two companies received a total of between €7-8m from Barcelona for what they claim were consultancy reports.
The Spanish public prosecutor has been unable to find sufficient evidence to back their story up so far though, and the case has gone to trial. A police investigation has also been unable to identify where all of that money ended up, and the charges of fraud are also being investigated.
Barcelona called to testify in court in January
The Blaugrana have been called to testify in court as a a result, and they will do so on the 27th of January, say Diario AS. Former Barcelona President Joan Gaspart has been asked to testify as a witness as well. He was in charge of the club from 2000 to 2003, an overlap of two years into contracting of Negreira’s services.
Elena Fort will represent Barcelona in court.
Image via FC Barcelona
Meanwhile Institutional Vice-President Elena Fort, who has often acted as a spokesperson for the club, will appear in court representing the Catalan club. The judge has also requested that all of the contractual documents relating to Negreira’s professional relationship with the court be handed over to the police.
Pedri has played 49 straight matches for Barça and Spain and clearly needed rest, even if it comes through suspension. @bonagerman
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) October 28, 2025
Joan Laporta, Ernesto Valverde and Luis Enrique will also testify
Current Barcelona President Joan Laporta will also appear as a witness in the case on the 12th of December, as will former coaches Ernesto Valverde and Luis Enrique, now of Athletic Club and Paris Saint-Germain. Last month Laporta’s predecessors Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell were questioned by the defence in court, and both claimed that no wrongdoing had occurred under their tenure. Bartomeu also noted that he only met Negreira in person by chance on one occasion.