Barcelona provisionally cleared to play in Champions League

Barcelona have been granted provisional clearance to participate in the 2023-24 Champions League despite an ongoing Uefa investigation into allegations of payments made to a referees’ chief.

The probe was initiated following claims that Barcelona made financial transactions to influence refereeing decisions in their favour.

In March, Uefa confirmed their examination of these allegations, and the matter gained further attention after the Barcelona public prosecutor’s office launched a criminal investigation on the same grounds.

It was alleged that Barcelona had paid an amount of 8.4 million euros (£7.4 million) to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of Spain’s referees’ committee, and his company, Dasnil 95.

Barcelona firmly denied any wrongdoing and continues to maintain their innocence throughout the investigation.

While the club have received provisional clearance, Uefa have asserted their right to potentially impose sanctions on Barcelona in the future, depending on the findings of the ongoing investigation.