Barcelona demand resignation of La Liga chief amid Negreira fiasco

The feud between FC Barcelona and La Liga president Javier Tebas continues to heat up amid the numerous scandals that the club is facing. On Monday, the club took a direct swing at Tebas by releasing a statement asking him to step down from his post due to his actions in connection with the club's corruption scandal dubbed El Caso Negreira.

It may be remembered that the Blaugrana are currently under investigation due to suspicions of corruption surrounding payments made to former referee and technical official Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.

It has been found that over a period that lasted around two decades, the club had been paying Negreira through his company Dansil 95 an amount that reached up to approximately £6.4 million ($7.9m). In light of the suspicions of corruption, Tebas has been openly critical of the club, much to the annoyance of the Barcelona heirarchy.

Now, the club has found an opportunity to retaliate against the La Liga chief after La Vanguardia claimed that Tebas may have presented false evidence against Barcelona in the case. Tebas has since denied the report, saying that he never accused anybody of anything and that the report is entirely false. He even accused the publication of slander. Nevertheless, Barcelona are calling for his resignation.

In a statement shared on its website,Barcelona said, "Given the gravity of the information that has appeared today Monday in La Vanguardia in which La Liga president Javier Tebas is linked to the presentation of false evidence to the public prosecutor to incriminate our club, FC Barcelona wishes to expresses its deepest indignation, anger and dismay.

"For that reason, we urgently require the La Liga president to appear in public to explain himself, beyond the tweet sent in the early hours by Mr.Tebas, lacking substance and with a threatening tone."

Apparently, Barcelona are not satisfied with the statement made by Tebas on social media and are urging him to explain himself further. Apart from Tebas, the club is also accusing media outlets of orchestrating an organised smear campaign against them.

They once again emphasised that "Barça has never paid referees" despite the fact that the payments made to Negreira and his company have been proven. Both sides argue that the payments were for reports made by Negreira to ensure that the club was treated fairly by match officials and were not bribes. Instead, he was acting as a consultant to provide reports and advice on calls made during Barcelona's matches.

The club also accused Tebas of "using the media as weapons" to inflict damage upon the club. They also called on other La Liga clubs to take notice of the actions of Tebas, which they say are not consistent with the requirements of his post.

Barcelona also stated that Tebas is "obsessed" with persecuting the club, and he should therefore resign due to his actions.

Meanwhile, investigators are still unable to provide concrete evidence that the payments made to Negreira resulted in favourable results for the club. On the other hand, the club has not been able to explain the millions of euros paid to the official since none of the aforementioned reports have been presented as evidence either.

The feud between Tebas and the club also goes beyond the Negreira case. The La Liga president is also keeping a close eye on the club's financial situation. In light of their debts, he has stated that the club will likely be unable to participate in the upcoming summer transfer window.