Former vice-president of the Spanish Football Federation's refereeing committee Jose Maria Henriquez Negreira has repeatedly blackmailed Catalan club Barcelona, El Mundo reports.
According to the source, in 2019, Jose Negreira sent a fax to Barcelona assuring them that he was ready to create a scandal that would negatively affect the team's reputation.
"I have a strong desire to sue, and this will have negative consequences for you. So far, I have initiated this process to prevent serious consequences. I hope that my position will be properly understood. I do not think that a new scandal will be beneficial for the club. If we don't reach an agreement, all violations will become common," Jose Negreira wrote in a letter in 2019.
Earlier it was reported that Catalan FC Barcelona is accused of possible bribery of referees. In 2016-2018, the Blaugrana bosses paid €1.4 million to DASNIL 95, a company owned by former Vice President of the Referees' Committee Jose Negreira. The case is being investigated by the Catalan prosecutor's office. Negreira has already testified, stating that these were payments for verbal consultations - including how players should behave with each referee - and not for making the referees more loyal to Barcelona.