On Thursday, UEFA confirmed that Barcelona has secured its place in the next season’s Champions League. However, the governing body emphasized that they might reopen the investigation concerning the payment of more than $7 million to a referee if additional evidence comes to light.
Barcelona, having won the LaLiga title last season, faced the risk of being affected by the ‘Caso Negreira scandal.’ According to court documents, the club made payments totaling €7.3 million ($7.7 million) between 2001 and 2018 to the company owned by José MarÃa EnrÃquez Negreira, the former vice president of Spain’s football refereeing committee.
Presently, UEFA has provisionally allowed Barcelona to participate in the Champions League. However, they have not ruled out the possibility of a future decision on admission or exclusion from the competition. The Champions League group-stage draw is scheduled for August 31.