The filing of the lawsuit by the public prosecutor’s office along with the charges brought against Barcelona will seriously jeopardize the club’s chances of playing in European competition next season.
Once cleared for consideration, and it looks like it will, UEFA may be able to consider that the Champions League’s reputation will be tarnished by FC Barcelona’s presence in the Champions League next season due to accusations of match-fixing.
Article 4 of the competition rules leaves no room for doubt. In fact, this article is there to establish a line of defense that protects the spirit of the game and, in particular, the values that UEFA intends to establish to ensure that competition is worthy. The Champions League, Europa League and Conference League regulations specify in Art. 4 sec. G criteria and procedures for the admission of clubs and stress that the clubs could not in any way participate in the illegal interference with matches at both national and international level, which conflicts with the justification of the prosecution’s conviction.
A few days ago, UEFA requested information on the status of the investigation and the demands. This has raised alarm bells at both Nyon and Camp Nou.
