Barcelona will not face any sporting sanctions for payments allegedly made to a company part-owned by former referee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, LaLiga president Javier Tebas has confirmed.

The Catalan giants have been alleged to have paid €1.4million between 2016 and 2018 to Negreira's company DASNIL 95 SL, with the claims first revealed by broadcaster SER Catalunya earlier this week.

Newspaper El Pais alleged that in return for payments, Barcelona received a written report and DVD assessment of referees prior to games.

Barcelona have strenuously denied wrongdoing, stating they previously hired "an external consultant" who provided video of youth players from other teams, together with "technical reports related to professional refereeing", which it said was "a common practice among professional football clubs".

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said on Thursday it had begun a "request for information" from Barcelona and the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), of which Negreira was a long-time vice-president.

However, statute of limitations laws in Spain only make it possible to punish clubs within three years of any offences, meaning Barca do not face the threat of a points deduction, though criminal action has not been ruled out.

"It is evident that in 2018 and in previous years the 'compliance' regulations which monitor conflicts of interest, both for Barcelona and the referee's committee, failed," Tebas said in a video message published on social media on Thursday.

"From what we are seeing, what's been revealed in the media, they obviously didn't work as these services should never have been provided. Neither the amounts of money, nor the facts which have been unveiled.

"We must clarify from the outset, we have already looked into [sporting sanctions] – it is not possible to impose sports disciplinary sanctions because five years have already passed.

"Criminal jurisdiction is another issue. Now the prosecutor's office is investigating the events that occurred and whether there may be a possible crime of corruption between individuals in terms of match-fixing. Let's see how that investigation ends.

"At LaLiga, we are going to wait and respect the prosecutor's office investigation and once that has finished, see whether it does decide to file the appropriate complaint or lawsuit in the corresponding courts. From there, we will make decisions."

Negreira refereed in the Spanish top flight between 1977 and 1992, before taking up a job with the RFEF between 1994 and 2018.

Barca president Joan Laporta said it is "no coincidence" that the allegations have come to light with the Blaugrana sitting eight points clear at the top of LaLiga.

Former Juventus, Athletic Bilbao and Spain striker Fernando Llorente has retired from football at the age of 37.

Llorente – who has been without a club since the end of last season – made the announcement to Movistar Plus, confirming the end of an 18-year senior career.

When asked about continuing to play football, he replied "No" and suggested he will instead "keep fit by playing padel."

Llorente began his career with Athletic, where he played for nine seasons for the first team, scoring 84 goals in 262 LaLiga games.

He then earned a move to Serie A giants Juventus, where he scored 16 in 34 league games in his first season, though was unable to repeat that form before he left on a free transfer back to Spain with Sevilla in 2015.

After one season at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, where he scored just four goals in 23 LaLiga appearances but won the Europa League, Llorente moved to the Premier League with Swansea City.

He netted 15 league goals in 33 games for the Swans before signing for Tottenham after an impressive year in Wales.

Llorente struggled for game time at Spurs, though, with Harry Kane the established striker at the club.

Nevertheless, he did play a key role in their run to the 2019 Champions League final, scoring the goal that put Spurs through to the semi-finals at the expense of Manchester City.

Llorente was unable to get back to his previous best in spells at Napoli or Udinese, before playing what turned out to be his final season back in Spain with Eibar in the Segunda Division.

He won three Serie A titles, two Coppa Italia crowns and a Europa League during his club career. Llorente was also part of the Spain squads that won the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, earning 24 caps for his country in all, scoring seven goals.

The Estadio Pensativo in Guatemala served as the location for the Wednesday’s matches in Group F and it was a happy one for Trinidad and Tobago, whose 1-1 draw with Barbados was enough to secure a third-place finish and a place in the next round.

The Bajan Tridents had dreams of a knockout stage appearance taking the lead through a well-placed left-footed strike from outside the 18-yard box from Shamari Yearwood in the 38^th minute.

That goal held up deep into the second half, but a late charge from the Soca Warriors proved decisive, as Lindell Sween struck in the 82^nd minute to earn his side a 1-1 draw and a place in the Round of 16 thanks to a better goal difference than Barbados.

The day’s other Group F game saw the USA beat Canada 1-0 through a Keyrol Figueroa goal in the 64^th minute to advance to the Round of 16 as Group winners.

Barcelona will be asked for an explanation after allegations they paid €1.4million to a company part-owned by former LaLiga referee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said on Thursday it had begun a "request for information" from Barcelona and the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), of which Negreira was a long-time vice-president.

LaLiga giants Barca have been alleged to have paid the seven-figure sum between 2016 and 2018 to Negreira's company DASNIL 95 SL, with the claims first revealed by broadcaster SER Catalunya.

Newspaper El Pais alleged that in return for payments, Barcelona received a written report and DVD assessment of referees prior to games.

Barcelona have strenuously denied wrongdoing, stating they previously hired "an external consultant" who provided video of youth players from other teams, together with "technical reports related to professional refereeing", which it said was "a common practice among professional football clubs".

The club, whose first team sit eight points clear at the top of LaLiga, said they would take legal action "against those who are trying to tarnish the club's image with possible insinuations against its good reputation".

The RFEF wants to be sure there has been no malpractice, and in a statement said its integrity department "initiated a request for information reserved for both those responsible for the CTA and FC Barcelona".

It added: "As soon as sufficient information is available, the RFEF will adopt the corresponding measures within the framework of legality that must prevail in all these situations."

The process of gathering information began on Wednesday, and the federation statement added: "The RFEF agreed yesterday to appear in the possible judicial procedures that are followed on this matter."

It also pointed out Negreira left the CTA leadership after an overhaul that followed the May 2018 RFEF presidential elections.

Negreira held his role with the RFEF from 1994 to 2018.

The RFEF said its rules dictated that all involved with refereeing and disciplinary matters are "obliged to detail any income, regardless of what is received by the RFEF, that could be related to football for the purpose of being able to evaluate and verify the effective and real absence of conflicts of interest".

Amid the controversy, Barcelona host Manchester United on Thursday evening in the first leg of their Europa League play-off.

Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Spain in their opening match of the Cup of Nations at Central Coast Stadium in Australia on Thursday.

Neymar is contracted with Paris Saint-Germain until 2025 but the French champions have reportedly transfer listed him.

The Brazilian forward is on a hefty wage, believed to be around €36 million per year.

Neymar has netted 12 goals in 19 Ligue 1 games this season, adding another five goals in nine appearances in other competitions.

TOP STORY – MEETING HELD AS CHELSEA'S NEYMAR INTEREST DEVELOPS

Le Parisien reports Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has met with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi about a transfer for Neymar.

The report claims the meeting was held in Paris, discussing the conditions around a potential transfer in the next transfer window.

It is claimed that a fee of around €60 million (£53m) has been discussed, although Neymar's significant wages may be a stumbling block to overcome.

ROUND-UP

– Inter defender Denzel Dumfries is set to be the subject of off-season bids from both Arsenal and Manchester United, claims Fichajes. The Premier League duo both see an opportunity to sign the Dutchman below market value.

– Fabrizio Romano reports Barcelona have agreed to sign Mexican right-back Julian Araujo from MLS club LA Galaxy. The deal is worth €4 million, with a contract to be signed up until 2026.

– Sport Bild claims Bayern Munich are monitoring the status of Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, with consideration being put to a bid prior to the next transfer window. Arsenal are also keep tabs on Rashford's situation, according to Football Insider.

– Bild also reports Bayern are still keen on Tottenham forward Harry Kane but will not be drawn into a bidding war for his services, with Manchester United in the hunt too.

– Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wants the club to sign Real Sociedad's 24-year-old midfielder Martin Zubimendi, reports Sport.

– Liverpool have held preliminary talks for Torino defender Perr Schuurs, claims Tuttosport.

Eduardo Camavinga says "nothing is impossible" as Real Madrid vow to fight for the LaLiga title after Wednesday's 4-0 win over Elche closed the gap to eight points at the top.

Second-placed Madrid trail Barcelona with 17 games to play, having dropped points in four of their previous nine league games while Barcelona have gone on a six-game winning run.

The Blaugrana have not lost in the league since Los Blancos triumphed 3-1 in the Clasico on October 16, opening up a sizable lead at the summit in the meantime.

"Nothing is impossible at this club," Camavinga told reporters. "We saw that last year with the Champions League, we're going to fight to the end to win LaLiga."

Madrid's victory, achieved after a Karim Benzema first-half double along with goals from Marco Asensio and Luka Modric, comes after they lifted the Club World Cup to shake off their unconvincing league form.

"I would like to thank the fans for their support and we're happy with the win," Camavinga added. "The team is in good shape and we're going to keep going.

"This is a difficult month but we're going to give it all we have."

Dani Ceballas, who started and was replaced by Modric in the 68th minute in midfield, said the eight-gap were surmountable.

"It was important to win to match Barcelona's good run," Ceballos said. "Eight points are not insurmountable and this team deserves to fight until the end and that's what we're going to do until the last game."

Vice-captain Nacho added that the win over Elche offered a timely confidence boost.

"A clean sheet and a game full of goals. Couldn't ask for any more," he said. "The team put in a complete performance from the off, despite Elche's current form.

"We needed to take the points to stay in the chase in LaLiga. These three points mean we're still right in the fight."

Carlo Ancelotti saluted "complete" Karim Benzema after the Real Madrid captain became the club's second-highest LaLiga scorer of all time.

The striker struck twice from the penalty spot in Wednesday's commanding 4-0 win over bottom side Elche, taking his Spanish top-flight tally for the club to 230 goals – surpassing Raul's 228 – with only Cristiano Ronaldo netting more on 311.

Marco Asensio and Luka Modric were also on target as Ancelotti's side closed the gap on league leaders Barcelona to eight points.

And the Italian paid tribute to his in-form number nine, who has now been directly involved in 15 goals in his last 14 appearances for Madrid (12 goals, three assists).

"Karim is not just a striker," the Italian said. "He is very complete, he combines well – today especially with Rodrygo. He is always ready in the area and helps us a lot in possession.

"His career is fantastic and hopefully he can continue. Real Madrid wants him at this level.

"Every game is good to gain confidence. When you win 3-0 and relax, there can be problems and I don't want it. The moment is good. We must maintain this dynamic of concentration and commitment."

Ancelotti also defended his decision to bench Modric, who completed the rout with a wonderful strike 10 minutes from time, as Dani Ceballos, Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde comprised Madrid's three-man midfield.

The head coach highlighted the importance of rotation with his squad aiming to chase down Barca, while a blockbuster Champions League last-16 tie with Liverpool is also on the horizon.

"Modric is untouchable for me and for everyone. Everyone is important, and I have total confidence in everyone," Ancelotti said. "I have to rotate because it's a very demanding season.

"The statistics say that [Toni] Kroos scored against [Athletic] Bilbao when coming off the bench [in last month's 2-0 win] and that, today, Modric has scored coming off the bench. From there, they can contribute goals."

Serie A strugglers Salernitana have appointed Paulo Sousa as their new head coach after parting company with Davide Nicola for the second time in a month.

Nicola was rehired on January 18 just two days after departing the club, but three defeats in four league games since then has led to another parting of the ways.

Salernitana confirmed the news on their official website on Wednesday, with the announcement of Sousa's arrival following moments later.

Sousa takes charge of his 12th different club, and his second in the Italian top flight following a two-year spell at Fiorentina.

The 52-year-old more recently managed Poland at Euro 2020 and spent six months with Flamengo before being dismissed in June.

Salernitana are 16th in Serie A, five points above the relegation zone with 16 games to play.

Fellow strugglers Spezia also parted company with head coach Luca Gotti on Wednesday after collecting just one point from their past four matches.

Jude Bellingham believes "not many players can stop" in-form Borussia Dortmund team-mate Karim Adeyemi following his wonderful individual goal against Chelsea.

Dortmund edged their noses ahead on aggregate with a narrow 1-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, in which Adeyemi's 63rd-minute strike proved decisive.

From a devastating counter-attack following a Chelsea corner, the Germany forward latched onto Raphael Guerreiro's pass and raced past Enzo Fernandez, before rounding Kepa Arrizabalaga to score.

And Bellingham - Dortmund's captain for the day - saluted Adeyemi, who has now scored in each of his last three appearances - one more goal than he managed in his first 20 games for the club since arriving from Salzburg last year.

"We are really confident when he gets the ball one on one. Not many players can stop him," the England midfielder told BT Sport. "He had a tough time coming here at the start - finding his feet - and now he's flying.

"We dominated the first half. They had chances, but we were in control for the majority of the first half. 

"In the second half, we took the foot off the gas, and they had more control. We showed how well we can defend and see out games."

Dortmund registered their first European victory over an English side in 11 attempts, while they have now won all seven of their matches in 2023.

"It's a case of new year, new luck. For me, it's that simple," Adeyemi told DAZN. "As a team, we talked a lot during the break, and it brought us closer together. 

"The only thing I was thinking [against Fernandez] was that I just need to get the ball past him. You just try to win your duels, the goalkeeper came out and there may have been a bit of luck, but I'm delighted with the goal.

"It was a tough start to the game for us, but then you could see that everyone was fighting for each other, and we knew something was possible here tonight. We're delighted to have won."

Karim Benzema became Real Madrid’s second-highest LaLiga scorer of all time as Los Blancos eased past bottom side Elche in a 4-0 victory.

The Madrid captain was on target twice from the penalty spot at Santiago Bernabeu, where Marco Asensio had broken the deadlock, while Luka Modric completed the rout later on.

Benzema surpassed legendary striker Raul by taking his Spanish top-flight tally for the club to 230 goals, with only Cristiano Ronaldo (311) netting more.

With Barcelona in Europa League action on Thursday, Carlo Ancelotti’s side capitalised by closing the gap on the league leaders to eight points.

Fresh from claiming a record-extending fifth Club World Cup crown, Madrid took the lead in the eighth minute. Receiving the ball from Dani Carvajal, Asensio weaved through a couple of challenges before slotting past Edgar Badia.

Benzema doubled the lead just after the half-hour mark when he calmly tucked away from 12 yards after his header had been blocked by Enzo Roco’s hand.

Madrid star Benzema repeated the feat in first-half stoppage time, sweeping past Badia after Diego Gonzalez felled Rodrygo.

The hosts looked to stretch their advantage further after the break. Badia kept Rodrygo out twice in as many minutes, while the Elche goalkeeper also denied Benzema his hat-trick.

Benzema and Eduardo Camavinga were marginally off target and Asensio drew smart reflexes from Badia with his fierce volley as Madrid looked to put the icing on the cake.

And they eventually did 10 minutes from time when substitute Modric controlled in the box before superbly drilling into the top corner 

Karim Benzema has surpassed Raul as Real Madrid's second-highest goalscorer in LaLiga.

Benzema moved onto 229 LaLiga goals, from 428 appearances in the competition, as he slotted in from the penalty spot to nose Carlo Ancelotti's side into a 2-0 lead against Elche on Wednesday.

Marcos Asensio's superb goal gave Los Blancos an early lead at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Benzema doubling their advantage just past the half-hour mark after Enzo Roco had handled in Elche's box.

Benzema subsequently scored his 230th LaLiga goal before half-time, converting his second spot-kick of the match.

Madrid great Raul took 550 matches to net his 228 LaLiga goals, meaning Benzema has overtaken him in 122 fewer games.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who is Madrid's record goalscorer, stands way clear of Benzema on 311 goals from just 292 LaLiga appearances.

Benzema was already Madrid's second-highest goalscorer across all competitions, having surpassed Raul last year in that regard.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has introduced pioneering measures to combat racism, with new rules allowing them to sanction teams with points deductions if their fans or employees commit discrimination.

Ground-breaking rules will take effect from the Copa do Brasil, which starts on February 22, after the league's statute was approved by all 20 Serie A clubs.

The plans were revealed after the CBF's General Regulation of Competitions meeting on Tuesday, as Brazilian football aims to combat increasing levels of racism throughout the sport.

CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues wants to put an end to such incidents after Brazilian football's governing body became the first to adopt the ruling.

The issue has had increased prominence after Selecao and Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior was subjected to numerous racially motivated incidents while playing in Spain.

And the CBF's measures follow Brazilian President Lula da Silva introducing a new law in January that made racial insults a crime and imposed greater penalties for offences committed at sporting and cultural events.

"The fight against racism is in a hurry – measures have been discussed for centuries and have never been put into practice," Rodrigues said in a statement from the CBF.

"We decided to go further with punishments and we can even take away points from a club in one of our competitions.

"It is considered extremely serious if the discriminatory offence is practised by managers, representatives and professionals of clubs, athletes, coaches, members of the technical committee, fans and arbitration teams in any competition coordinated by the CBF."

Rodrigues is the first black president to lead the CBF in over 100 years of the organisation's history and vowed to battle to eradicate racism within football.

He added: "Racial discrimination is a crime and our job is to shed light on the issue. 

"We really hope that we can also have the support of all the clubs, of all the fans, of all segments of society, of all the press, so that this does not just remain in a decorative way.

"In addition to sporting sanctions, for any and all acts of racism or any discrimination, the match summary will also be forwarded to the Public Ministry and the Civil Police so that the process does not die only in the sports sphere, and that offenders are also punished by law."

Germany great Jurgen Klinsmann believes Toni Kroos is an "exceptional player" who can remain at the top level with Real Madrid for another four seasons.

Kroos has made 395 appearance and won a remarkable 18 trophies – including the Champions League four times – for Madrid during nine seasons with the club.

The 33-year-old remains a key player for the LaLiga giants, starting 26 of their 34 games this term – only Federico Valverde (29) and Vinicius Junior (32) have started more often.

However, the midfielder's contract at the Santiago Bernabeu expires at the end of this season and he stated last week he will not rush into making a decision on his future.

Kroos has made clear he will not join another club after he brings an end to his Madrid career, and Klinsmann is hopeful he will hold off from retiring for many more years.

"What he has achieved in the last 10 or 15 years is truly fabulous," Klinsmann told Stats Perform. "He's won it all. I don't even know how many trophies he has won. 

"He is an exceptional player who can manage his energies not only for 90 minutes but up to 120, giving it all for Real Madrid. 

"He could easily play at this level for another three or four seasons, even more since he unfortunately retired from the German national team to save further energy. 

"I hope he can go on playing because it would be sad for him to quit so soon."

Kroos' influence has once again been clear for Los Blancos this season, with his 1,219 completed passes the most of any player in LaLiga, despite missing three games.

He also ranks highest in the division for passes attempted per 90 minutes (94) – 11 more than any other player – among those to have featured more than twice. 

Commenting on his future after helping Madrid to another Club World Cup title last weekend, Kroos said: "I will end my career here.

"I just don't know exactly when yet. I'm thinking about it. It won't take many more months, but there is still no decision."

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) have distanced themselves from former LaLiga referee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira in the wake of allegations involving Barcelona.

LaLiga giants Barca are alleged to have paid €1.4million to a company part-owned by Negreira between 2016 and 2018.

Negreira, who was the vice president of the CTA, held his role with the RFEF from 1994 to 2018. It is alleged Barca wanted to ensure "that there would be complete neutrality" in refereeing decisions affecting the club.

Barca responded with a statement on Wednesday saying they had hired the services of an external consultant that supplied the club's technical secretaries with reports in video format of youth players from other clubs in Spain.

The Blaugrana added that "the relationship with that supplier extended to technical reports related to professional refereeing in order to complement the information requested by the first and second team coaching staff. This a common practice among professional football clubs."

Barca revealed they would be taking legal action against "those who are trying to tarnish the club's image with possible insinuations against its good reputation that could be caused by the release of such information."

However, the RFEF issued a statement distancing itself and the CTA from any links with Negreira since he left his role five years ago, and vowed to support any investigation into the matter.

"The CTA wants to make it clear that Mr Enriquez Negreira is not part of any federative structure since the change of government carried out after the 2018 elections," a statement issued on RFEF's official website read.

"The CTA regrets the behaviours that may be likely to violate the ethics of the establishment. No active arbitrator or member of the CTA bodies may carry out any work that is likely to enter into a conflict of interest. 

"The CTA makes itself available to offer its maximum collaboration in any type of information that this committee can provide."

Barca president Joan Laporta said it was "no coincidence" that the allegations had come to light with the Blaugrana sitting 11 points clear at the top of LaLiga.