FC Barcelona ‘Study Playing In Foreign Leagues’ In Fear Of Possible Sanctions: Reports

FC Barcelona are studying the possibility of playing in a foreign league while fearing possible sanctions stemming from the ‘Caso Negreira’ scandal, according to OnzeTV3.

During the latest episode of the sports news and debate programme aired approaching midnight on Monday evening in Catalonia, co-host Xavier Valls explained that Barca president Joan Laporta has requested a detailed report on the possibility of playing abroad for economic purposes only.

Barca have been charged with “continued corruption” due to their part in the ‘Caso Negreira’ scandal which involves them paying more than $8 million to the Former Vice President of the Spanish Technical Committee of Referees Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira between 2001 and 2018.

The Catalans and Laporta have repeatedly denied that there has been any wrongdoing and insist that the payments were made above board for legal consultation work.

With UEFA opening its own investigation for a “potential violation” of its laws, however, which could result in sanctions and a possible ban from participating in the Champions League for a season in the future, this pushed Laporta to sound out alternatives ahead of flying to Slovakia to meet the European governing body’s president Aleksander Ceferin last month.

OnzeTV3 reports that Barca’s board are confident there will be no punishments handed down. But still, Laporta wants the rules and regulations to be studied in case there any loopholes that allow Barca to play friendlies or possibly participate in foreign competitions or leagues in exchange for multimillion dollar sums.

There is a particular focus on the Middle East according to the Catalan outlet, where money is often seen as no object when it comes to boosting the profile of countries such as Saudi Arabia through hosting high-profile sports events and big names.

Executive club sources have told OnzeTV3 that the potential development is merely in a consultation phase at the moment. Even if it were to get the green light from the board, such a potential move would have to be put to a referendum among club members who ultimately have the final say.

With Barca currently boasting an 11-point lead at the summit, they are likely to qualify for the next edition of the Champions League as La Liga winners.

At the conclusion of his meeting with Ceferin, however, Laporta left with the belief that UEFA won’t hand down a punishment such as a potential ban from the elite club competition as soon as the 2023/2024 season because it will wait for the matter to be clarified in the Spanush court before taking its own action according to SPORT.

As even a temporary exclusion would be economically catastrophic for the Blaugrana, who are mired in debts and struggling to balance Financial Fair Play limits to sign Lionel Messi, it makes sense for Laporta to seek out alternatives as a stopgap.