“If he doesn’t explain it well, he should resign”

“In the press release that Barcelona issued, it seemed that all the football clubs were doing this – explained Tebas -. It’s one thing to have ex-referees and another to have ex-referees who are on the Technical Committee of Referees. It’s an issue that I would like to see cleared up. The time that this has been going on is not three seasons, it’s many seasons. Also, with a lot of directives, that they weren’t talking to each other. I don’t like it at all.” The president of the League has admitted in a press conference that most clubs have sent him their concerns “about the damage that is being done to Spanish football”.

The state body, which is awaiting the resolution of the various investigations that are underway, is clear that if necessary, it will act as an accusation before UEFA and FIFA. “If we believe that UEFA and FIFA must enter into this, we will issue the corresponding complaint. I have been saying this since the second day. I wanted more data and more circumstances. We do not expect people to enter ex officio; especially in these matters in what are the signs of corruption”, said Tebas, forcefully.

In a meeting with the clubs, Tebas explained the position of the League, which admits that it cannot do much, since the facts have prescribed for sports justice. “I’ve explained it to them [als representants dels clubs] what the League will do, among other things a letter to the Prosecutor’s Office with some data that can help the research it is doing. If there had been no sports prescription, we would have opened a file without a doubt. Even diligences,” said Tebas.

Espanyol claims responsibility

Among the clubs that have expressed their concern about the case is Espanyol. The Catalan club has issued a statement in which it is “alarmed at the information published in different media in relation to the so-called “Negreira case”, the text says. “Although it is still in the investigation phase, the possible implications of what has been published for our competition, the clubs that make it up and the bodies affected would be of such gravity that they require exceptional action when it comes to clarifying what really happened and, where appropriate, clear the corresponding responsibilities at the national and/or international level”, he adds.

The white-and-blue club, in addition, wished to recall in the statement its disagreement with how the Lewandoski case was resolved, who was able to play the Catalan derby after the Central Disputes Tribunal of Madrid granted a precautionary measure to the penalty imposed by the TAD. “Recently, our club was affected by another resolution which, in our opinion, put the normal operation of our competition at risk, beyond the damage directly caused to our club. As then, since of the respect that our fans demand and deserve, today we appeal to the rest of the clubs and organizations to take a step forward in defense of the good functioning and good name of our football”, concludes the statement.

Sevilla has been the first club to take a public position and admits its “concern and indignation” at the events. “It is absolutely necessary to get to the bottom of the matter to clarify what happened,” he also emphasized in a statement.