Barcelona downplays payments for refereeing reports

By TALES AZZONI
AP Sports Writer

MADRID (AP) — Barcelona has denied a possible conflict of interest for having made payments for technical reports on referees to a company that belonged to the vice president of the refereeing committee in Spain. Radio station SER Catalunya says the payments for information on how referees officiate were made from 2016-18 and totaled $1.5 million. The club says reviewing reports on referees is “a common practice among professional football clubs.” Barcelona president Joan Laporta says the news about the payments was released now to try to destabilize the team’s good run.