“Greatest reputational damage that has been done" - La Liga president Javier Tebas calls out Barcelona's Joan Laporta over the Negreira case

La Liga president Javier Tebas has called out Barcelona chief Joan Laporta over the Negreira case, claiming that the incident hampered the image of Spanish football to a large degree.

The Negreira scandal came to light in February as the Blaugrana were accused of paying former vice-president of the refereeing committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, €7.2 million between 2001 and 2018.

Speaking about the saga, Tebas said (via Mundo Deportivo):

“It is time for him to give explanations, it is important that he comes to the Assembly on 19 April and speaks to the rest of the clubs, It is the greatest reputational damage that has been done to Spanish football in its entire history. It has been more than two months and we will see if he can clarify more than the letters he has sent to UEFA and FIFA.”

He added:

“Why did the club pay the vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees these million-dollar sums for nearly 20 years? Why did Mr. Negreira say in his appearance at the Tax Agency that it was to achieve neutrality? All this has to be clarified.”

Tebas further expressed his concern over the matter and claimed that he is waiting to see how Barcelona clarifies their stance on the issue.

"Let’s see how they clarify it? I am anxious and so are the rest of the Spanish football clubs."

Barca president Joan Laporta is set to hold a press conference next week to clarify the team's stance on the Nnegreira case.

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Barcelona defender Alejandro Balde reacted to the draw against Girona

Barcelona were held to a draw in their latest La Liga clash against Girona.

Reacting to the result, Alejandro Balde claimed that the team was keen to build on their 12-point lead over Real Madrid atop the La Liga table. However, they were unable to find a breakthrough.

Speaking about the performance, the young left-back said (via Barca Universal):

“We wanted to add to the difference, but we’ve got to keep working. We missed several chances. We lacked the effectiveness. It’s a long season and we still have matches to go. We have to keep fighting.”

Barca will take on Getafe on April 16 in a La Liga away clash next.