Rosell before the judge: “With Messi and Pique at Barca we didn't need to pay Negreira”
Rosell and Bartomeu assured that they only hired Negreira's services for specialized reports
Former presidents of FC Barcelona, ??Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, appeared this Thursday before the judge investigating the Negreira case, in which the payments of 7.3 million euros to the player are being analyzed. former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira and his son Javier between 2001 and 2018.
Rosell: “With Messi and Pique we didn’t need to buy referees”
During his statement, Rosell assured that the Barca club did not need to pay to win matches, as it had a historic squad.
“With players like Leo Messi or Gerard Pique, Barca did not need any refereeing help,” stated the former president, who only answered questions from his defense.
The leader also defended that the refereeing reports prepared by Negreira and his son were useful for the coaches and limited himself to maintaining those services, contracted prior to his arrival. According to his calculations, each report cost less than 250 euros, which - in his opinion - would rule out any possibility of referee shopping.
Bartomeu backs Rosell's version
His successor as president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, reinforced the argument that Barcelona was not seeking referee favors:
"We didn't need any refereeing help because we had the best team in the world," he declared to the media after his speech.
Both former presidents argued that having a member of the CTA as an advisor was not irregular, arguing that these types of relationships also exist at other clubs.
Other defendants in the Negreira case
In addition to Rosell and Bartomeu, the club's former director of professional sports, Albert Soler, and the former executive director, Oscar Grau, also testified as suspects. Both simply responded to their lawyers and maintained that the payments to the Negreiras corresponded to legitimate arbitration advice and at market price.
For their part, Javier Enriquez, Negreira's son, and Ana Paula Rufas, partner of the former CTA director accused of money laundering,They invoked their right not to testify. Rufas is under investigation for the three million euros found in his accounts, which could be linked to club payments.