Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola has insisted Barcelona should be seen as innocent until proven guilty, following the bribery charge on president Joan over the Negreira case.
Guardiola was in charge of Barcelona between 2008 and 2012, the time in which the club is alleged to have made payments to former referees’ chief Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.
He however is adamant that Barca, who won three successive La Liga crowns and two Champions League triumphs in his four years in charge, won fairly.
“You didn’t see how good this team was, it was a scandal how well we played,” Guardiola told a press conference.
“When there is a sentence, I will give you my opinion. Barca is innocent, Laporta is innocent, until the opposite is proven.”
Laporta, who was president between 2003 and 2010 and returned to the role in 2021, has been charged for his alleged role in making the payments, which Barca claim were merely for Negreira to compile reports on referees.
