The Barcelona Court has admitted the appearance as a private accusation of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) in the known as 'Negreira case', which investigates the payment, between 2001 and 2018, of more than 7.5 million euros for FC Barcelona to José Enríquez Negreira.
The decision comes one day before the former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees goes to testify as being investigated in the Investigative Court number 1 of Barcelona. Enríquez Negreira initially alleged that he was not fit to testify due to health problems, suffering from Alzheimer's, but a medical court certified that he retains the mental faculties to face the process.
In an order to which EFE has had access, section 21 of the Barcelona Court has upheld the appeal filed by the RFEF against another order of the investigating court number 1 of the Catalan capital that is investigating the case and that excluded his appearance. in the case.
This court considered the RFEF "an entity that exercises public functions under the supervision of the Higher Sports Council (CSD)", in turn dependent on the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Spain, which is why it denied legitimacy to appear as an accusation. particular as well as popular.
For its part, the Public Prosecutor's Office understood that the federative entity could not exercise private prosecution as it did not hold the status of victim of the crime under investigation, although "in its condition as an eminently private entity, even when it exercises functions of public utility", he should be allowed to remain in the case as a private prosecutor.
Now, according to an order from the Court, the events being investigated "could well have a typical fit in the crime of corruption in sport" and it is up to the Professional Football League (LFP) and the RFEF to "organize" the competitions. in which said crime could have been committed.
"Therefore, and at this point, we must conclude that the RFEF has the legitimacy to file the criminal action as a private accuser, since its relationship with the facts investigated derives from the exercise of the private powers that are its own." , concludes the resolution.
