"Negreira? Trying to influence the promotion and relegation of referees is sports corruption"

La Liga president Javier Tebas assured in Congress that “trying to influence the promotion and relegation of referees is sports corruption”, when asked about the ‘Negreira affaire’, which is being investigated by a Barcelona court for Barca's payments to the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA).

"We were the first to appear and we are going all the way. I have said it, there is sports corruption. Referees were not bought, but trying to influence the promotion and relegation of referees is sporting corruption," he said at the Education, Vocational Training and Sports Commission, where he appeared to talk about the football industry and its challenges.

Similarly, Tebas also defended once again La Liga's position in the case of Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, for the breach of financial fair play by Barcelona, which was later revoked by the Superior Sports Council (CSD).

The La Liga chief, during his appearance, complained about the excess of competitions and the new formats that increase the number of matches, something that forces to set midweek fixtures and that is detrimental, as he has conveyed to FIFA and UEFA.

"We are going backwards, we are generating new competitions that only benefit a series of clubs and a series of players, who are the ones that earn the most income, and now we are asking that the national league be the one to reduce. Enough of new competitions, enough of new formats, let's not build professional soccer on the basis of 250 players, but on the basis of the 63,000 players in Europe," he demanded.

Tebas, however, highlighted the attendance figure of La Liga, which this season will break the record and will raise it by more than one million, to be almost 16 points higher than in the pre-covid era.