By Ibrahim Daladi

Joan Laporta, the President of Barcelona Football Club, is facing charges of alleged bribery related to payments made to companies associated with the former vice-president of the refereeing committee, José María Enríquez Negreira. The charges stem from Laporta’s first term as the club’s president, spanning from 2003 to 2010.

Initially, when charges of bribery were filed against Barcelona in September, Laporta was not named as a defendant. The accused included former Barca presidents Josep María Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, along with Negreira and his son, Javier Enríquez Romero.

However, the judge overseeing the case ruled on Wednesday that Laporta and the board of directors who served during the period when the payments were made should also be included in the investigation, as it is considered a case of continued bribery. The payments from Barcelona to Negreira’s companies totaled over €7 million between 2001 and 2018 while he held the position of vice president of the refereeing committee.