New support for the investigation by the Investigative Court number 1 of Barcelona against FC Barcelona, former presidents and former directors of the club for the ‘Negreira case’. In an order in which it rejects the appeal of the Higher Sports Council as an accusation in this procedure, considering that it is not harmed in the case, the Barcelona Court made it clear that the investigation against the former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees, José María Enríquez Negreira, for receiving 7.2 million euros from Barça while she was in office, from payments to her Dasnil company, “could have fit” into a crime of corruption in sport or another of unfair administration.
The magistrates point out that Enríquez Negreira, through his company, “contracted with FC Barcelona to provide various advisory services and received various sums of money with the ultimate goal of ensuring that arbitration decisions were not made against him.” In addition, he adds that at that time, Enríquez Negreira’s son, Javier, “in his capacity as manager” of Dasnil “provided coaching services to active referees while accompanying them to the hotel where they had to stay” when they came. to Barcelona to whistle at Barça.
However, for the court, the crime of corruption in business goes much further than the “economic aspect in the world of sport” since “the protected legal good must also address this other aspect of sporting integrity and respect for fair play.” , along with aspects related to economic interests”. Furthermore, the Court of Barcelona considers that this legal precept “there have been few occasions on which its application has taken place and consequently the possibilities of its judicial interpretation have been scarce” and recalls the conviction against Osasuna by the Court of Navarra for the crime of aggravated misappropriation along with falsehood and sports corruption.