Xavi Hernandez speaks in the press conference ahead of the match against Athletic Club about the charges brought against Barcelona in the Negreira case.
Barcelona have been officially charged by the Spanish prosecutor's office with continued corruption in business, but Xavi Hernandez claims he is not worrying about it at the moment.
The Barcelona manager, who was also a player for the club, claims he has been focusing on the football aspect of things, claiming the Negreira case is an administrative issue and something for the president, Joan Laporta, to worry about and not him.
What Xavi said
Xavi was speaking today at a press conference ahead of Barcelona's game against Athletic Club, where he was asked about the charges brought against Barcelona in the Negreira case.
He responded by saying it is an issue within the jurisdiction of the club's president, who he said has told them to exhibit calm on the issue.
He revealed that they were yet to discuss it in the dressing room, as they were focusing on maintaining their league lead.
"This is an issue that worries the president more," Xavi said, per Relevo.
"He tells us to be calm, to be for football. We haven't talked in the locker room, I'm busy talking about football."
The Negreira case
As we reported in detail here, Barcelona have been indicted along with two of their former presidents, Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, and two other former club officials.
They have been charged with continued corruption in business as they have been alleged to have paid Enriquez Negreira, vice president of the Spanish football refereeing committee from 1994–2018, for favourable arbitration decisions.
Barcelona have denied the accusations, claiming the payments made to Negreira were for consultations. Negreira himself has also denied receiving payments to favour Barcelona, corroborating Barcelona’s story of the purpose of the payment.
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