Barcelona Gets Green Light to Play in Euro Cups Despite Match-Fixing Allegations

The scandal broke out in February 2023, when Spanish prosecutors revealed that Barcelona had a long-term financial relationship with Jose Negreira, the former vice-president of the technical committee of referees. According to the prosecutors, Barcelona paid over 7 million euros to companies owned by Negreira to rig some matches in their favor.

Barcelona denied the allegations and claimed they were innocent. However, there were fears that the club could face relegation to a lower division if found guilty.

Recently, UEFA issued an official statement regarding the case.

The statement said that Barcelona is “provisionally admitted” to take part in the 2023/2024 UEFA club competitions. However, it also said that the decision could be changed in the future, depending on the outcome of the investigation.

It is emphasized that the investigation is ongoing, and the club is obliged to keep ethics and disciplinary inspectors in the loop about its progress and provide all necessary documents and information upon their request.

The statement added that Barcelona is obliged to cooperate with the ethics and disciplinary inspectors and provide them with all the necessary documents and information. The UEFA Control, Ethics, and Disciplinary Body is one of the responsible bodies for handling Barcelona’s case. If they decide to reconsider the interim decision on Barcelona’s participation, they will report it to the UEFA Appeals Body.