UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin has described Barcelona's refereeing scandal as one of the most serious incidents he has witnessed since his involvement in football. Last month, UEFA launched a formal investigation into the club for potential violation of its legal framework regarding payments made to a company owned by a senior refereeing official.
Barcelona has been alleged to have made payments of €7.3 million ($7.96 million) to firms owned by José María Enríquez Negreira, then-vice president of the refereeing committee of the Spanish Football Association, from 2001 to 2018.
The club denied any wrongdoing in a statement earlier this year, saying it paid an external consultant who provided technical reports related to professional refereeing, which was a common practice among professional football clubs.