BARCELONA could be banned from the UEFA Champions League over a payment they made to companies linked to a Spanish refereeing official.
UEFA on Thursday, opened their own investigation into the matter, which is already being pursued by prosecutors in Spain.
The governing body’s regulations, which have been in effect since 2007, give the organisation power to ban clubs from the Champions League for one season if they are found to be involved in match fixing.
Court documents show Barcelona paid 7.3 million euros (£6.4 million) from 2001-2018 to two companies owned by former referee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, DASNIL and NILSAT.
Negreira is the former vice president of Spanish football’s refereeing committee.
