Barçagate: A cold war between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona, arguably one of Europe's most renowned clubs, is facing a series of accusations related to fraudulent payments and corruption. The Catalan club is under investigation by the Spanish government as well as UEFA. The club's crisis extends to all fronts in a period of major financial insecurity, FC Barcelona is in the eye of the hurricane.

The Spanish Tax Agency uncovered one of the biggest corruption scandals involving FC Barcelona and the Spanish referring committee (CTA). Payments from the Catalan club could be traced back to José María Enríquez Negreira, the former vice president of the CTA.

It was originally estimated that a total of $1.6mn were paid during the 2016-2018 season, however, the evidence seems to be pointing to a total sum of $7.2mn since 2001.

As the investigation progresses, more information is leaked every day, uncovering how deeply netted the CTA was involved in alleged match-fixing. The CTA's ultra-defensive stance is raising a lot of questions as to how aware referees were of these "backdoor payments".

According to the investigation, a total of 33 invoices were paid to vice president Negreira. The objective behind these payments was to prevent biased arbitration and keep everything neutral.

FC Barcelona's alibi is riddled with persecution and keeping things fair, nevertheless, they have been caught allegedly bribing referees for more lenient referring. The irony of the situation can be at times a little hard to comprehend as no one seems to want to come out with the truth.

The payments started during the 2001/2002 season, with Joan Gaspart as president of FC Barcelona. The payments increased in 2009/2010 with the arrival of Joan Laporta as president.

FC Barcelona went on for more than two years without conceding a single penalty in La Liga. The overall penalty average for the league was 0.3 pens a game, yet the Catalan club enjoyed the CTA's penalty leniency.

As of now, the investigation is in the hands of the Spanish judicial system, while sporting institutions like UEFA await more information regarding the scandal.

Javier Tebas, president of La Liga, announced the alleged crime happened back in 2018 and the league can only penalize such offenses in a three-year margin. Nevertheless, this doesn't rule out any sanctions from La Liga, UEFA, or FIFA.

The UEFA experienced a similar situation with 'Moggigate', involving Juventus and their alleged match-fixing methods back in the early 2000s. The Italian club faced a serious 30-point deduction and multiple sanctions, including the removal of titles.

UEFA and FIFA are observing from the sidelines but are seemingly unmoved by the scandal as there seems to be very little interest in sanctioning Barcelona.

So far, all evidence is pointing to a major corruption scandal as the investigation places FC Barcelona as the main culprit. The club has denied everything but as more data comes forward, Barcelona is running out of wiggle room. But what does major rival, Real Madrid, have to say about this?

Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have been saber-rattling since March, however, the Catalan club bumped the tension up a notch after President Joan Laporta publicly denounced Real Madrid's positioning on the matter.

He publicly accused Real Madrid of being the favored club and the club backed by the state. Laporta went as far as to label Real Madrid as Francisco Franco's team, accusing 'Los Blancos' of using their links in politics in the regime.

The 'los Blancos' released a video as a response to FC Barcelona's accusations, showing how Francisco Franco did save the Catalan club from bankruptcy twice, alongside financial aid for the club's infrastructure amid their winning spree during the 1950s. Real Madrid took 15 years to win a La Liga title under Francisco Franco.

Such harsh accusations have sparked a cold war amongst the long-time rivals, where relations between both clubs seem to be at an all-time low. Florentino Perez has distanced himself from FC Barcelona and Joan Laporta, publicly denouncing the Catalan club for victimizing their image and digging into the past.

Joan Laporta coming out and targeting Real Madrid as the 'black hand' behind all their miseries has only re-opened old scars among both clubs. The tension has been present on the pitch too and the 'Clasicos' are starting to resemble those of the 2000s, with constant arguments and nasty fouls.

As the football drama unravels, FC Barcelona still leads the race for the league title and Real Madrid is in the Champions League semi-final. What matters most is football, not the noise that surrounds it. Ceferin, UEFA's president is overlooking the situation in Spain but no resolution is in sight. The lack of transparency is raising a lot of questions, which only hurts FC Barcelona.