Javier Tebas, President of the Spanish Football League, returned to talking about the “Negrira case,” stressing the need to proceed with the judicial investigation “until the end.”
At the same time, Tebas strongly rejected the story that the former vice president of the technical committee of referees still exercises influence over Spanish refereeing.
Tebas's statements came in a post on his social media accounts: In response to views he had previously expressed in 2023.
The president of the Spanish League said: “I still adhere to exactly the same opinion regarding the Negrera case: what happened was a very serious matter and must be investigated to the end.”
However, Tebas distinguishes between investigating events that occurred and ended years ago, and “creating a narrative in 2026 claiming that Negrera is still influencing Spanish arbitration at the present time.”
Tebas stressed: “This is absurd, and repeating these allegations on Real Madrid TV does not make them true.”
Tebas points out that there is an ongoing judicial process to determine whether the payments made to Negrera affected the arbitration system, especially with regard to the promotion or exclusion of referees, and whether these payments constitute a crime of sports corruption. He said: “Let the judges conduct their investigations, let all the evidence be examined, and follow the case until the end.”
At the same time, the president of the League rejects the idea that the institution he heads will play the role of a court before a judicial ruling is issued, as he asked, saying: “Are we supposed to exclude FC Barcelona and its current leadership from the Spanish League? Is the Association supposed to replace the courts, issuing its own ruling and imposing a penalty before a judicial ruling is issued?
Tebas revealed: “The statute of limitations has expired under the Spanish sports disciplinary regulations,” before concluding his letter by criticizing those who, from his point of view, are keeping the case alive. He said: “One can show a very strict stance towards what happened, as I did from the beginning, and at the same time refuse to accept the misleading narrative that claims that Negrera is still influencing Spanish arbitration all these years after the end of those events. This is not a pursuit of the truth, but rather an attempt to keep a specific narrative in place.”
It is expected that Lionel Messi's farewell match with the Argentine national football team later today, Tuesday, will witness many tears.
The friendly match against Benin in Buenos Aires is titled “The Night That No One Wants to End,” as Messi plays his last match in the shirt of his country’s national team.
Messi, 39, announced his retirement from international football in the weeks following his country's loss to Spain in the World Cup final, saying: "The time has come."
The Argentine Football Association succeeded in convincing him to play one last match with the national team, for “the farewell he deserves,” amid expectations that thousands of fans would attend to express their appreciation for Messi at the Monumental Stadium.
The Argentine Federation said that the match would go beyond sports and would be “full of emotions.”
Messi posted on social media pictures upon his arrival to join the national team for the last time, along with pictures from his last training with the team.
“Special moments I know I will miss,” Messi wrote.
Messi was on the cusp of leading Argentina to win the World Cup for the second time in a row, but the national team, the defending champion, lost to Spain 0-1 in the final match held in New Jersey last July.
Messi achieved his greatest ambition four years ago in Qatar, when he led his country to win the World Cup, repeating the achievement achieved by Argentine football legend Maradona.
Messi played 207 matches with the Argentine national team, and ends his international career as the top scorer in the team’s history with 125 goals, including 21 goals in the World Cup finals. He also participated in six editions of the World Cup, equaling the record alongside his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi announced his retirement from international football for a short period in 2016, before he lived his most successful period with the national team, where he won the Copa America in 2021 and 2024, in addition to the 2022 World Cup. Messi continues his career at the club level with Inter Miami, and he recently won the Campeones Cup, becoming his fourth title with the team.
Experts said on Monday that the clubs participating in the European Basketball League are unlikely to adopt radical changes when they meet this week to consider a 10-year strategic plan, in a pivotal week for the sport across the continent, as the NBA seeks to enter the arena.
Representatives of the 13 permanent teams in the Europa League were scheduled to arrive at Lake Como on Monday evening, with a vote being held today, Tuesday, on a fundamental change in the ownership system that would transform these shareholders into franchised teams, and expand the scope of the competition from 20 to 24 teams.
The Europa League will also evaluate the 14 offers it has received for additional long-term concession seats, with a maximum of eight seats being awarded by vote.
The European League proposals aim to achieve sustainability and accelerate growth in the long term, but there are still skeptics.
Maurizio Gherardini, president of the Italian League, told Reuters: “I don’t think this really changes what is on the table today regarding shareholders.”
The strategic plan aims to raise the total value of the competition and its clubs to 4.3 billion euros ($4.82 billion) by 2027, and the European League said in a statement issued on August 25 that the expected growth in revenues on an annual basis rose to 15 percent as a result of new commercial deals.
Despite the positive expectations, Real Madrid's budgets have shown net losses in the basketball department every year since the 2021-2022 season. Its rival Barcelona has also recorded overall net losses over the past three years, and economist Ivan Cabeza told Reuters that the European League model in general is not sustainable.
Cabeza added: “I find it very difficult to imagine how a commercial project like the European League - which was, still is, and very likely will remain a financially losing project - can witness radical change.”
This may make the “American Basketball League in Europe” project more attractive to clubs that focus primarily on football, and it is widely expected that the American League will launch - in 2027 - whether in cooperation with the European League, or without it.
The Athletic newspaper said last week that George Eyvazoglu, executive director of the NBA Project in Europe, and Mark Tatum, deputy commissioner of the association, held talks with Paris Saint-Germain of France, AC Milan of Italy, and the Spanish duo about joining as member clubs.
Media reports indicated that the American Basketball Association had submitted a proposal to the European League, and Reuters confirmed on Friday that talks between the two sides were continuing.
“If someone came and said: ‘Look, I will give you 800 million euros for the franchise so you never lose money,’ it would obviously be an attractive offer,” Cabeza said, presenting a hypothetical scenario for Barcelona and Real Madrid.
He added: “It is attractive because it solves part of the overall debt problem, stops the financial bleeding, and allows you to keep the brand name associated with a partner.”
Ayvazoglu is preparing to provide an update on the proposed 16-team competition on Thursday in London. Both the NBA and the European League have confirmed that they will move forward with their own plans for the 2027-2028 season if an agreement is not reached.
