La Liga Chief Reveals if Barcelona Will Be Punished Amid Referee Payment Scandal

• Javier Tebas has stated that Barcelona will not be punished amid their referee payment scandal
• The Catalans allegedly paid £1-million over three seasons to the ex-vice president of LaLiga referees
• Earlier reports suggested that the current La Liga leaders would be relegated from the Spanish league

La Liga president, Javier Tebas has clarified that FC Barcelona will not be punished over the alleged payments to former vice-president of the Referees’ Committee, Enriquez Negreira.

Reports on February 15 claimed the Catalan giants made payments close to €1.4 million to the official for advisory services.

The reports further claim that Negreira was paid through a company he owned known as DASNIL 95 SL.

Forbes suggested that Barcelona could face relegation from La Liga or have points docked if they are found guilty of corruption.

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However, Tebas has now stated the Spanish powerhouse will not be sanctioned by the league body, as the issue is already past the statute of limitations.

He said in a statement: “It is impossible for there to be sporting sanctions, the statute of limitations would have expired."

Negreira allegedly received €532,728 (£473,340) in 2016, €541,752 (£481,358) in 2017, and then a further €318,200 (£282,915) in 2018.

He was vice-president for around 24 years between 1994 and 2018. The payments stopped the year Negreira left his role as the second-in-command of the referee's committee.

However, his company is reportedly being investigated by Barcelona’s office of the prosecutor for alleged ‘corruption between individuals’.

Tebas wages 'war' on EPL

Sports Brief also reported on La Liga chief, Tebas calling the EPL unsustainable financially, following the reported spending by English clubs in the latest transfer window.

The Spanish league boss remains a controversial and outspoken figure in football due to his continued criticism of big-money clubs like Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

Tebas' latest comments come amid reports that clubs in the Premier League spent a total of over £2 billion in the summer window, compared to just £404 million by clubs in La Liga.