<p>La Liga president Javier Tebas said Thursday that no sporting sanctions can be taken against Barcelona after it was revealed they made several payments to a former refereeing chief's company.</p>.<p>A company owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former refereeing technical committee vice-president, received payments totalling 1.4 million euros ($1.5 million) from Barcelona, which he said was for providing the club with verbal advice on topics relating to referees.</p>.<p>Tebas said despite conflict of interest regulations being breached, Barcelona could not be punished in a sporting sense, although they may still face private prosecution.</p>.<p>"We must clarify from the outset, we have already looked into it -- it is not possible to impose sporting disciplinary sanctions because five years have already passed," said Tebas in a video published by La Liga Thursday.</p>.<p>He said that sanctions were only possible within three years of the events having occurred.</p>.<p>The public prosecutor's office confirmed to <em>AFP </em>it is carrying out investigations into the matter, but did not give further details.</p>.<p>The La Liga club said they previously had a contract with an "external provider" for technical reports advising the club on refereeing matters.</p>.<p>Tebas said ethically no services should have been provided by Negreira to Barcelona, and no payments should have been made by the club.</p>.<p>"(Punishment under) criminal jurisdiction is another issue," added Tebas.</p>.<p>"Now the prosecutor's office is investigating the events that occurred and whether there may be a possible crime of corruption between individuals."</p>.<p>The Spanish football federation said they have requested information from Barcelona and the refereeing technical committee (CTA) regarding the payments.</p>.<p>The investigation began after Spain's tax authorities identified irregularities in tax payments made between 2016 and 2018 by the company Dasnil 95 -- owned by Negreira, vice-president of the CTA between 1994-2018.</p>.<p>Dasnil 95 reportedly received payments from Barcelona between those years.</p>.<p>The last invoice, according to Cadena Ser radio, was issued in June 2018. After that the CTA was restructured and Enriquez Negreira left the organisation.</p>.<p>Josep Maria Bartomeu, then-president of Barca, told reporters the club had decided to dispense with these services in order to cut costs.</p>.<p>Negreira -- who refereed in La Liga between 1977-1992 -- denied that he had given any favourable treatment to the club.</p>
<p>La Liga president Javier Tebas said Thursday that no sporting sanctions can be taken against Barcelona after it was revealed they made several payments to a former refereeing chief's company.</p>.<p>A company owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former refereeing technical committee vice-president, received payments totalling 1.4 million euros ($1.5 million) from Barcelona, which he said was for providing the club with verbal advice on topics relating to referees.</p>.<p>Tebas said despite conflict of interest regulations being breached, Barcelona could not be punished in a sporting sense, although they may still face private prosecution.</p>.<p>"We must clarify from the outset, we have already looked into it -- it is not possible to impose sporting disciplinary sanctions because five years have already passed," said Tebas in a video published by La Liga Thursday.</p>.<p>He said that sanctions were only possible within three years of the events having occurred.</p>.<p>The public prosecutor's office confirmed to <em>AFP </em>it is carrying out investigations into the matter, but did not give further details.</p>.<p>The La Liga club said they previously had a contract with an "external provider" for technical reports advising the club on refereeing matters.</p>.<p>Tebas said ethically no services should have been provided by Negreira to Barcelona, and no payments should have been made by the club.</p>.<p>"(Punishment under) criminal jurisdiction is another issue," added Tebas.</p>.<p>"Now the prosecutor's office is investigating the events that occurred and whether there may be a possible crime of corruption between individuals."</p>.<p>The Spanish football federation said they have requested information from Barcelona and the refereeing technical committee (CTA) regarding the payments.</p>.<p>The investigation began after Spain's tax authorities identified irregularities in tax payments made between 2016 and 2018 by the company Dasnil 95 -- owned by Negreira, vice-president of the CTA between 1994-2018.</p>.<p>Dasnil 95 reportedly received payments from Barcelona between those years.</p>.<p>The last invoice, according to Cadena Ser radio, was issued in June 2018. After that the CTA was restructured and Enriquez Negreira left the organisation.</p>.<p>Josep Maria Bartomeu, then-president of Barca, told reporters the club had decided to dispense with these services in order to cut costs.</p>.<p>Negreira -- who refereed in La Liga between 1977-1992 -- denied that he had given any favourable treatment to the club.</p>