Barcelona call for La Liga chief Javier Tebas to RESIGN in fiery statement hitting out at alleged ‘false evidence’ in Negreira case

• Bluagrana ask La Liga chief to step down
• Insist he is behind media smear campaign
• La Liga chief denied reports he gave false evidence in scandal

WHAT HAPPENED? The Catalan club are currently under investigation for paying a senior refereeing official around €7.3million (£6.4m, $7.9m) from Barca over a nearly 20-year period. Tebas has been among Barca's most vocal opponents during the scandal, further fracturing the already delicate relationship between the two parties.

On Monday, the club took another swing at Tebas, calling on him to step down from his post after a report in La Vanguardia suggested he offered "false evidence" in the investigation — something he outright denied.

"Only for this fact, that of attributing functions that do not correspond to him, although also out of dignity and respect for the presidency of LaLiga, Mr. Tebas should resign from his function," Barcelona said in a lengthy club statement.

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AND WHAT'S MORE: The release also insisted that Tebas was behind the scenes of what they dubbed a conspiracy against the club.

"A handful of media and opinion-makers have participated in this harassment with more or less bad intentions, and with LaLiga behind the scenes fanning the fire against our Club, with contributions from its president that have only gone in one direction: trying to condemn us before public opinion before for the facts to be judged," the statement read.

The Blaugrana conceded, though, that his resignation is unlikely.

"However, aware of his obsession with persecuting FC Barcelona and constantly showing his aversion and manifest antipathy towards our Club, we understand that the current president of LaLiga will persist in his behavior of continuing to harm our Club," they said.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Investigators concluded two weeks ago that there are no obvious links between Barca's payments and on-field refereeing decisions. Still, Tebas has repeatedly called on Barcelona president Joan Laporta to explain the millions of euros paid by the Blaugrana. The president has not offered an explanation, although he did announce that Barcelona would defend themselves against the allegations.

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WHAT NEXT? Meanwhile, Barcelona are currently under investigation by both Spanish authorities and UEFA. New details come out every day, but a date for a concrete decision — and potential punishment — is not in sight.