Former Barca presidents deny corruption at ref scandal court appearance

FC Barcelona's former president Josep Maria Bartomeu leaves the Ciutat de la Justicia courthouse after a hearing on the ongoing FC Barcelona corruption case regarding alleged bribery payments to former refereeing chief, in Barcelona, on September 18, 2025. [AFP]

Former Barcelona presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu insisted Thursday that payments the club made to a former refereeing chief during their time at the helm were not corrupt, during a court appearance on Thursday.

The club and some former officials are being investigated as part of the "Negreira case", after they paid a company owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira more than 7.3 million euros ($8.6 million) between 2001 and 2018, according to a complaint filed in 2023 which sent shockwaves across Spanish football.