Barcelona have been accused of bribery by the public prosecutor following a raid of the referees’ office by Spanish police.
According to reports, current and former club officials have been charged with corruption and fraudulent management.
The investigation centres around payments made to a former vice-president of Spain’s referees’ committee who was also the owner of two companies that received payments totalling €7.3m from Barcelona between 2001 and 2018.
Former Barcelona presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, as well as the owner of the companies in question, have also been charged as part of the investigation.
However, the club maintains that they simply paid for technical reports on referees, which is not illegal.
Despite the charges, current Barcelona president Joan Laporta has denied any wrongdoing by the club and insists that they will clear their name.
It remains to be seen how the investigation will unfold, but this latest development is sure to cause a stir among fans and critics alike.
