Barcelona demanded the resignation of La Liga president Javier Tebas on Monday following allegations of him making “false” claims about the club’s involvement in a referee corruption case.
The accusations against Tebas came to light when a newspaper reported that he had written a letter to the Spanish public prosecutor implicating two ex-Barcelona presidents in misconduct.
The Catalan club was charged with corruption last month after discovering payments exceeding 7.3 million euros ($7.8 million) to a company owned by a former refereeing chief. According to La Vanguardia’s report, Barcelona claims that Tebas provided “false proof” to the public prosecutor to incriminate the club.
In a statement, Barcelona expressed its “anger, indignation, and disgust” and called for Tebas to address the public and provide answers.
The club also stated that, out of respect for the La Liga presidency, Tebas should step down. In response, Tebas denied “accusing anyone” in a social media post.
Barcelona admitted to paying Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, a former referee and ex-vice president of the Spanish football federation’s refereeing committee (CTA), for reports and advice on refereeing matters. However, in their statement, the club insisted they were subjected to a “media lynching” for an event that never occurred, as they had never bribed referees.
The club, Enriquez Negreira, and former club presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell face corruption charges.
