Real Madrid will aspect in opposition to Barcelona within the prison lawsuits that the rival is going through over its bills of hundreds of thousands of euros over a number of years to an organization that belonged to the vice chairman of Spain’s football refereeing committee, Madrid mentioned Sunday after an pressing board assembly.
The resolution got here two days after prosecutors officially accused Barcelona of alleged corruption in sports activities, fraudulent control and falsification of mercantile documentation. An investigating pass judgement on will come to a decision whether or not the allegations will have to result in fees.
“Real Madrid wishes to express its utmost concern regarding the gravity of the facts and reiterates its confidence in the legal system,” Madrid mentioned in a remark after the board assembly. “The club has agreed that, in defense of its legitimate rights, it will appear at the trial when the judge opens it up to the affected parties.”
It was once the primary time Madrid formally weighed in at the subject. Other golf equipment had already expressed their considerations over the Barcelona bills, as did the Spanish league and the Spanish football federation. The league additionally plans to do so in opposition to Barcelona within the prison lawsuits.
Barcelona has been underneath scrutiny because the bills to the committee formally become public remaining month. The bills had been to start with investigated as a part of a tax probe into the corporate.
Barcelona has constantly denied any wrongdoing or struggle of pastime, announcing it paid for technical reviews on referees however by no means attempted to steer their selections in video games.
Prosecutors mentioned in court docket paperwork observed by means of The Associated Press that the bills by means of the membership added as much as 7.3 million euros ($7.7 million) from 2001-18. They added that this “quantity was not justified because it was not foreseen in the statutes of the club nor approved by its general assembly (of club members).”
Prosecutors alleged that the previous vice chairman of the committee, José María Enríquez Negreira, “in change for cash, was once to hold out acts tending to prefer Barcelona soccer membership within the decision-making technique of referees within the video games performed by means of Barcelona, and in the result of the competitions.
There is thus far no proof that referees or recreation effects had been in fact influenced.