Barcelona

Xavi asked about alleged Barcelona bribery during press conference

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 28 September 2023

Barcelona head coach Xavi is questioned on the alleged charges of bribery towards the Catalan outfit during his press conference on Friday.

Barcelona head coach Xavi said that he has "little time to reflect on things other than football" when asked about the alleged charges of bribery towards the Catalan outfit.

The La Liga champions are currently the subject of an investigation into payments made to a former vice-president of Spain's referees' committee.

Court documents previously revealed that Barcelona paid €7.3m (£6.4m) between 2001 and 2018 to two companies which were owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.

A report has claimed that the club have been charged with bribery by the public prosecutor following a raid of the offices of the Spanish Football Federation.

Barcelona coach Xavi reacts on March 19, 2023 © Reuters

Xavi, as expected, was questioned on the speculation when he spoke to the media ahead of Friday's La Liga contest with Sevilla.

In response, the 43-year-old said that his mind was firmly on matters on the field.

"You know my opinion. I have never had the feeling that it has benefited us, never. A week from now there will be another piece of news, a month from now another one," Xavi told reporters.

"I have little time to reflect on things other than football. Not on these issues."

Barcelona continue to deny any wrongdoing, although it is unclear whether the club will be releasing a statement to address the reports which have surfaced on Thursday.

Barcelona's Sergi Roberto in action with Villarreal's Dani Parejo on August 27, 2023 © Reuters

The Catalan side will be aiming to return to winning ways on Friday evening when they host Sevilla, with the match following a 2-2 draw with Mallorca earlier this week.

"We have to be more focused. It's not true that it's hard for us to play against five-man defences. We create a lot. We're lacking in defence. In attack, we have improved. We have to improve defensively to win titles," Xavi told reporters during his press conference.

"Sevilla are Europa League champions, [Jose Luis] Mendilibar is doing a great job, difficult match."

Barcelona will again be missing Pedri and Frenkie de Jong for the contest with Sevilla, but Barcelona, who would return to the top of the La Liga table with a win, are otherwise in good shape, with Ronald Araujo fully recovering from a hamstring problem which had sidelined him for more than a month.