Barça Bribery Scandal Also Hurts Referees

As the vice-president of the Spanish Referees Committee, José María Enríquez Negreira received payments from Barcelona, and investigations are underway to determine why Negreira was paid during that time. Although Barça's president, Joan Laporta, expressed not to worry about the case, it has hit hard in the Spanish referees' world.

Alejandro Hernández Hernández, who has refereed over two hundred matches at Spain's highest level, was the first referee to comment on the case. 'The damage this does to refereeing in Spain is irreparable. At first, I thought it was fake news,' he stated on COPE.

Hernández Hernández is pained that a colleague of his collaborated with a club. 'An agreement between a member of the Referees Committee and a club is illegal. I always boast about independence and collectivity, but that's not possible if a member of that collective has made a deal with a club.'

Hernández Hernández himself indicates that he does not fear punishment. 'We have a clear conscience as a referees' corps and, legally, we have no worries.' The latest news in the Negreira case is that Laporta has been officially charged and must therefore defend himself in court. Various searches have been conducted in the pursuit of more evidence against Barcelona and the former vice-president of the Spanish Referees Committee, Negreira.