Barcelona’s former presidents and the current president gathered to address the club’s defense.
Barcelona’s current president, Joan Laporta, met with four of his predecessors, Joan Gaspart, Sandro Rosell, Enric Reyna and Josep Maria Bartomeu, to reach a “united” position on the alleged payments to the former vice president of arbitration Enríquez Negreira. The Catalans have been investigated for a total of 33 payments totaling 1.6 million euros to a company owned by Negreira between 2016 and 2018. Last week, Laporta was charged with bribery in connection with the case and now the club has issued a statement. After Tuesday’s meeting…
The statement reads: “FC Barcelona announces that yesterday afternoon the last five presidents, Joan Laporta, Josep Maria Bartomeu, Sandro Rosell, Enric Reyna and Joan Gaspart, held an informal dinner together to consolidate and establish a united position regarding the attacks and slanders that seek to disrupt the life of the club and which have intensified recently.
“The current president Joan Laporta accepted the proposal made last Saturday by Joan Gaspart at the General Assembly of Deputies, as a way to consolidate an unbreakable position and forge cohesion among the club’s members”
“During the dinner, the five analyzed the current situation of FC Barcelona and reached a consensus on certain issues, with the overall objective of supporting the interests of the club, especially regarding matters related to the incessant attacks on FC Barcelona by throughout history and especially in recent times.”
Getty
If Barcelona and key figures past and present are found guilty of these charges, it could rock the Spanish team and its legacy going forward.
Barcelona and the rest of the football world will wait and see what comes of this investigation.
Source: Goal