Barcelona demand the resignation of La Liga president

Barcelona has issued a statement demanding the resignation of La Liga president, Javier Tebas, in connection with the club’s referee payment scandal.

The club’s request comes after a report in La Vanguardia suggested that Tebas had offered false evidence in the investigation, which he has denied.

The controversy involves a senior refereeing official who received €7.3 million ($7.9 million) from Barcelona over a nearly 20-year period. Tebas has been vocal in his opposition to Barcelona during the scandal, exacerbating the already tense relationship between the two parties.

Barcelona’s statement alleges that Tebas is behind a media smear campaign against the club and calls for his resignation from his post.

“Only for this fact, that of attributing functions that do not correspond to him, although also out of dignity and respect for the presidency of LaLiga, Mr. Tebas should resign from his function,” the statement reads.

It goes on to accuse Tebas of being part of a conspiracy against the club, claiming that “a handful of media and opinion-makers have participated in this harassment with more or less bad intentions, and with LaLiga behind the scenes fanning the fire against our Club, with contributions from its president that have only gone in one direction: trying to condemn us before public opinion before for the facts to be judged.”

While acknowledging that Tebas is unlikely to resign, Barcelona insists that his obsession with persecuting the club will continue. The club has been under investigation by Spanish authorities and UEFA for the past few weeks, with new details emerging every day. However, no concrete decision or potential punishment has been announced yet.

Investigators have already concluded that there are no obvious links between Barcelona’s payments and on-field refereeing decisions.

Despite this, Tebas has repeatedly called on Barcelona President Joan Laporta to explain the millions of euros paid by the club. While Laporta has not offered an explanation, he did announce that Barcelona would defend themselves against the allegations.