Tebas (La Liga President): "Saying Barcelona Bought Referees Is Not True"
T.E (Elbotola)
20 February 2026at11:25
La Liga President Javier Tebas defended Barcelona against accusations from Real Madrid of "buying referees" in the "Negreira case."
In an interview with Spanish newspaper "ABC," Tebas stated, "Saying Barcelona bought referees is not true, and paying money to the vice-president of the Referees Committee is unacceptable from a sporting perspective."
He continued, "However, to say that the reason a penalty was not awarded to Vinicius against Osasuna was due to Negreira, as Florentino Pérez suggested at the General Assembly, is absolutely incorrect."
Tebas concluded by saying, "It is up to the judiciary to decide whether it was a criminal act or not (in the Negreira case), and major accusations cannot be built solely on media narratives."
Q&A
What is La Liga President Javier Tebas's view on the Barcelona referee accusations?
Tebas denies Barcelona bought referees but labels payments to the Referees Committee vice-president as "unacceptable from a sporting perspective," emphasizing the judiciary's role in the "Negreira case."
How did Javier Tebas address Real Madrid's specific claims regarding the Negreira case?
Tebas explicitly refuted Florentino Pérez's suggestion that a penalty not awarded to Vinicius against Osasuna was linked to Negreira, calling such a claim "absolutely incorrect."
