Inside Spain: Breaking down the Barcelona bribery case, injury crises and Jude Bellingham reigns supreme
Inside Spain is a weekly instalment brought to you by Football España, providing an insight into all of the major stories coming out of the rich and intense climes of La Liga and beyond.
Barcelona have been formally charged with bribery, in case you had missed it. The Negreira case was always going to rumble on, but now it looks as if the Blaugrana will have their day in court.
The court magistrate has charged Barcelona for paying a public official €7-8m (£6-7m) over 17 years for their business relations with Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the Vice-President of the Referees Committee, between 2001 and 2018. The nuance is important here – previously Barcelona were being investigated for sporting corruption, which would require proof that Barcelona had received favourable treatment for their money. With bribery, just the intention is enough, the public prosecutor will only need to prove that.
This could result in anything from a warning to relegation to dissolving the club, depending on what the judge decides at the end of the case. Meanwhile UEFA could kick Barcelona out of next season’s Champions League too, although Barcelona feel they have found a loophole to get out of it.
On the pitch, they rumble onwards after stodgy wins over Sevilla and Porto, but the mood is one of concern. Robert Lewandowski is a major doubt for El Clasico on the 28th of October after spraining his ankle against the Portguese giants. That will keep him out for anywhere between three and five weeks.
Real Madrid are also suffering with injuries. David Alaba looks close to a return, to join their last standing central defender Antonio Rudiger. Nacho Fernandez will now begin a three-game ban after a horror challenge on Girona’s Portu last weekend in a 3-0
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