Here is all about who is Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, former vice president of the technical committee of referees and La Liga referee paid off by Barcelona
After it was revealed that Barcelona paid a referee chief’s company £1.2 million between 2016 and 2018, Barcelona can face harsh penalties.
According to the Barcelona prosecutor’s office, according to Spanish news source Cadena SER via Forbes, the payments were paid to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, a former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees, while Josep Maria Bartomeu was in office.
Who is Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira ex-vice president of technical committee of referees and La Liga referee paid by Barcelona
Bombshell report reveals Barcelona paid a company owned by José María Enríquez Negreira €1.4m from 2016-2018.
At the time, he was a La Liga referee and vice president of Spain's Technical Committee of Referees.
None of the payments were invoiced. https://t.co/87DZ01vhv5
— Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) February 15, 2023
🚨| FC Barcelona may face La Liga relegation or having points docked after they were accused of paying the former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, €1.4mn during the rule of former president Josep Bartomeu. #FCBlive [@Forbes] pic.twitter.com/1xMR53uzLt
— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) February 15, 2023
The payments, which totalled three and were active from 2003 onward but came to an end as a result of the club’s desire to reduce expenses, according to Bartomeu, who was accused of corruption by the police in 2020.
According to the Que the jugues programme on SER, the payment of €532,728.02 was made in 2016, followed by €541,752 in 2017 and the lowest payment of €318,200 in 2018.
According to The Athletic, payments were sent via a company called DASNIL 95 that Enriquez Negreira founded and that included his son in day-to-day management.
If Barca was found guilty, they would run the risk of being demoted or having points deducted.
Who is Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira?
From 1994 to 2018, ex-referee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira served as vice president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation’s Technical Committee of Referees.
Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira was born in Barcelona on September 6, 1945. He was a referee in Spain’s First Division from 1975 until the 1991–92 season, making him one of the game’s well-known figures in the 1980s.
At the age of 46, Negreira put his whistle away. Enriquez Negreira extended his commitment to arbitration at the time because the age to continue exercising was not as restrictive.
The records show that he dismissed 50 players, one per three games and issued 433 yellow cards during the 132 games he supervised.
Negreira joined the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) in 1994 and rose to the post of vice president, which he maintained until the conclusion of the 2017–2018 season.
In 2004, Negreira named his son Javier Enriquez Romero as the company’s sole administrator. Up to February 18, 2019, Romero served in that power. He focused his studies on technology company administration and management.