Pep calls for La Liga titles to be stripped as Man City verdict looms

Manchester City’s recent guilty verdict has added fresh pressure on Pep Guardiola, whose own legacy is now under scrutiny after Spanish authorities called for Barcelona’s La Liga titles to be stripped over alleged payments to referee chief José María Enríquez Negreira. The accusations, detailed in a 50,000‑page dossier submitted to UEFA, threaten the glittering trophy haul Guardiola amassed at both clubs.

Spanish investigation resurfaces

Real Madrid compiled the massive evidence package, which was handed to UEFA on Thursday, accusing Barcelona of illicit payments exceeding £7 million over a 17‑year span from 2001 to 2018. The documents allege that the money was paid to Negreira while he served as vice‑president of Spain’s technical committee of referees. Barcelona have consistently denied any wrongdoing, insisting the funds were for scouting reports supplied by Negreira’s company.

Barca’s defence and La Liga’s stance

Barcelona president Joan Laporta publicly declared, “Barca have never bought referees and Barca never had the intention of buying referees, absolutely never.” La Liga, however, said it could not launch a formal investigation because the alleged offences occurred many years ago, rendering the case legally complex. UEFA, meanwhile, confirmed it would assess the “substantial amount of documents” now in its ethics and disciplinary archives.

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Impact on Guardiola’s legacy

Guardiola, who guided Barcelona from 2008 to 2012, oversaw three La Liga crowns and a historic treble in 2011, while his later tenure at Manchester City produced multiple Premier League titles. The Manchester City verdict, which highlighted breaches of Premier League rules, already casts a shadow over his achievements in England; the Spanish allegations now threaten to tarnish his successes in Spain as well. MATT BARLOW, the football writer who reported the story on 2 October 2026, notes that the timing of the UEFA filing coincides with Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez’s re‑election campaign, where he promised to expose what he called “the biggest scandal in history”.

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