Amid renewed criticism of refereeing, Perez denounced the Negreira affair as "the worst scandal in football history" and lamented that it remains unresolved.
The case centres on allegations that the former vice-president of the Spanish Referees' Committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, received more than seven million euros from FC Barcelona between 2001 and 2018. The Spanish public prosecutor's office claims the club paid for favourable refereeing decisions. The club insists it paid only for reports and advice.
"The same referees from the Negreira era are still in action. They're still officiating. That makes no sense," Perez continued. "Barca paid for Negreira's services for two decades, and these referees are still active in the third decade."
AFP
