Earlier in February, it was reported that Barcelona had paid almost €7 million (R136 million) to a company owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira during a period when he was the former vice-president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation's Referees Committee. According to , these payments took place between 2001 and 2018, with many beginning to wonder of the Spanish giants had effectively been buying important game decisions through the former LaLiga match official. The Blaugrana hit back at any suggestion of foul play, however, insisting that they hired the company as an outside consultant to produce reports on youth players from other sides in Spain as well as on professional referees. With many LaLiga sides expressing concern regarding these serious allegations, the Spanish top flight has now released a statement, via its official website, on the matter, saying that all but two of the teams, including Barcelona, in the Spanish top flight "reject and repudiate the facts known about the Negreira/FCB case". "The Delegated Commission of LaLiga met today (made up of Atletico de Madrid, Levante UD, Sevilla FC, Real Betis, Real Sociedad, Cadiz CF, Getafe CF, Villarreal CF, CD Tenerife, Deportivo Alaves, SD Eibar, UD Las Palmas, CD Lugo and SD Huesca) and after taking stock of everything that happened in the Division Boards, as well as the information published in the media, this Delegate Commission wishes to state: - LaLiga has exposed to all the members of the Delegate Commission the different actions that it has carried out and is carrying out, among which are included: a letter to the Prosecutor's Office as announced yesterday by the president; communications with the data and information that LaLiga considers pertinent to different organisations, Spanish and European; and more actions that at this time LaLiga considers that it should not make public so as not to harm the investigation. - Yesterday, during the Division Meeting, most of the LaLiga Clubs expressed their deep concern about this case, which they consider to be of the utmost seriousness, for which the proposal for a joint communication received the unanimous support of all the clubs. - From LaLiga SmartBank and all the LaLiga Santander clubs except for two, who objected to this joint statement for different reasons. - LaLiga and its Delegate Commission reject and repudiate the facts, and are deeply concerned and actively working to clarify any irregularities that may have occurred around the Negreira case, whether sporting or of any other nature. - LaLiga is following this matter very closely and will act firmly within the powers and limits allowed by the Law. " Perhaps surprisingly, Real Madrid were the other club that decided to not join in with the joint statement from LaLiga on the matter. Spanish top-flight chief Javier Tebas, meanwhile, has called for Barcelona president Joan Laporta to resign if he cannot adequately explain why the club paid the money to Negreira. Laporta has hit back at Tebas by claiming that he has a "fear" of the Blaugrana. It remains to be seen, if found guilty, what punishment sporting, financial or otherwise the Catalans could receive. You must be to read and post comments. .