Spanish soccer giants Barcelona find themselves under investigation for alleged “active bribery” as part of a wide-ranging inquiry into suspected corruption within the refereeing committee spanning two decades. This investigation was revealed through a court document obtained by Reuters.

Additionally, law enforcement authorities conducted searches at the offices of the Spanish refereeing committee (CTA) within the headquarters of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) in Madrid. These actions are part of the ongoing investigation into the “potential systemic corruption” within the CTA.

The world of Spanish football, and the RFEF in particular, is currently undergoing a period of introspection due to allegations of sexual misconduct against former RFEF chief Luis Rubiales. An incident involving Rubiales, where he kissed World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso on the lips on August 20, created a significant controversy, overshadowing both the success of the women’s team in Sydney and the ongoing refereeing scandal. Rubiales subsequently resigned from his position.

The scope of the refereeing investigation has now expanded to include Barcelona as a suspect. Investigating judge Joaquin Aguirre Lopez had previously stated in September that the club might have gained advantages through corrupt practices.

In March, prosecutors filed a complaint regarding alleged payments totaling more than 7.3 million euros ($7.8 million) made over a 17-year period to companies associated with Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. Negreira had served as the vice-president of the RFEF’s refereeing committee from 1993 to 2018. Reuters’ attempts to contact Negreira have been unsuccessful, and the RFEF has not yet issued a statement on the matter.

It is understood that Barcelona would not release an official statement at this time. The club’s legal team is said to have been anticipating this possibility and had been diligently preparing for the case since its inception.

Barcelona, the reigning La Liga champions, vehemently deny any wrongdoing. They issued a statement in February explaining that the club had made payments to an external consultant who provided “technical reports related to professional refereeing.” According to Barcelona, this practice is common among professional football clubs.

Interestingly, Barcelona’s arch-rivals, Real Madrid, have also joined the prosecution in this lawsuit as an affected party.

Judge Aguirre, who is overseeing the case, noted that Negreira was responsible for assessing and ranking referees. However, as of early September, no evidence had been uncovered to suggest that Negreira had paid referees to influence match outcomes.