pools
National Court judge Alejandro Abascal has asked the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor to weigh in on a request from LaLiga, the National Professional Football League. The request concerns a series of payments, totaling roughly 4,000 euros, made by the Royal Spanish Football Federation to Javier Enríquez Negreira, son of the former vice-chairman of the Committee of Technical Referees during Ángel María Villar’s presidency. The inquiry forms part of the ongoing Soule case, which looks into alleged irregularities tied to Villar’s leadership of the federation. Reports circulating in the media suggest there could be coordination for an Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office investigation in Barcelona over payments from FC Barcelona to Enríquez Negreira, tied to arbitration reports allegedly included in the Villar case. These details are drawn from sources cited by El Periódico de España, part of the Prensa Ibérica group.
The federation allegedly paid Enríquez Negreira in several installments for supposed mental coaching services. LaLiga has asked for these transactions to be reviewed by the General Intervention of the State Administration (IGAE). A letter from LaLiga, obtained by this newspaper, claims that some of these coaching services were provided by the organization led by Javier Tebas, and that 18.75 percent of those services may have originated from revenues from betting pools.
The letter notes that the investigation into these payments was brought before the judge at the proper time, but only gained public attention when the so-called Negreira case emerged. LaLiga emphasizes the need for clarification of these payments and their provenance.
Additionally, the federation is accused of failing to provide invoices or any supporting documentation for the expenditures. The absence of records makes it difficult to verify whether the services existed, their content, duration, rate, or authorization for payment. It also raises questions about the selection of the provider. The matter has been sent to the National Court and is now under review by the Ministry of Public Administration in connection with the investigation. The file remains under examination.
Sanchez Arminio
Meanwhile, the anti-corruption authorities have already approved LaLiga’s request to impeach Victoriano Sánchez Arminio, the former Head of Technical Referees, in the National Court, according to Vozpópuli. Sánchez Arminio previously oversaw José María Enríquez Negreira, a figure involved in the discussions around the payments. An IGAE report is said to indicate a diversion of eight million euros that were initially intended for travel, lodging, and allowances for referees. The No. 1 Central Education Court has agreed to expand the Soule investigation in August, pending several reports. The latest notices from IGAE highlight concerns about irregularities in the construction and development of football facilities in Spain, as reported by Europa Press.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation did not respond to questions from this newsroom on Thursday.