UEFA Want To ‘Make Example’ Of FC Barcelona And Will Pursue Lengthy Champions League Ban

European football governing body UEFA
EFA
want to make an example of FC Barcelona by banning them from the Champions League – possibly for multiple years – and do not wish to see the Court of Arbitration for Sport veto any such sanction according to a report.

UEFA announced on Thursday that it had opened its own investigation into the payments that Barca made to the Former Vice President of the Spanish Technical Committee of Referees, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, from 2001 to 2018.

These totaled more than €7 million ($7.6 million) from 2001 to 2018 according to El Mundo, but Barca deny any wrongdoing and have claimed through president Joan Laporta that each payment was made legally for consultation services carried out by Negreira.

“In accordance with Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors have today been appointed to conduct an investigation regarding a potential violation of UEFA’s legal framework by FC Barcelona in connection with the so-called ‘Caso Negreira’. Further information regarding this matter will be made available in due course,” the bombshell statement from UEFA read.

Around midnight in Spain, during the latest edition of the El Larguero program broadcast by Cadena SER, host Manu Carreno claimed that UEFA want to punish Barca with an “exemplary sanction” if the club is found guilty amid corruption charges lodged by Barcelona’ provincial prosecutor’s office.

UEFA will request that Barca are banned from European competitions such as the Champions League, Carreno explained, with the only question remaining how many years a potential punishment will last despite previous reports suggesting a timeframe of just one season.

Furthermore, the continental authority does not want the Court of Arbitration for Sport – which Barca could appeal to if disciplined – to step in and veto any potential sanction coming the Catalans’ way.

If true, this development demonstrates how those behind the scenes at Camp Nou were right to reportedly fear harsh treatment by UEFA viewed as a way of chastening Barca for their backing of the breakaway European Super League alongside Real Madrid and Juventus.

Currently leading the Spanish top flight by 12 points, Barca are set to qualify for the Champions League as La Liga winners next term and desperately need the revenue the competition brings in through television, ticket, and prize money during times of financial difficulties.