In Barcelona, a long-running European compliance matter has returned to view after UEFA confirmed receipt of a substantial body of material from Real Madrid concerning the Negreira case. Barcelona’s response was immediate: the club says there is no new UEFA disciplinary file and that the existing investigation, opened in 2023, has never been closed.
The news from the club
Barcelona said UEFA’s statement concerns documents submitted by Real Madrid, which will now be assessed by the two investigators appointed when the original procedure began three years ago.
The Catalan club stressed that reports of a fresh case being opened were incorrect. In its view, UEFA referred twice to an investigation and review that remain ongoing, rather than announcing a new, resumed or reactivated process. Barcelona also noted that UEFA made no judgement on either the substance or the evidential value of the documents provided.
The club said it has complied with every request made during the investigation and that the investigators have carried out the measures they considered appropriate since their appointment. “The file was not reopened because it was never closed,” Barcelona said.
Barcelona added that it has not received any further request from UEFA following Real Madrid’s submission, nor has it been formally sent Madrid’s complaint. Should either step follow, the club said it will reply in the same manner it has throughout the inquiry.
The UEFA procedure remains linked to the criminal proceedings under way in Spain, Barcelona said, and will continue to be governed by developments in that case. Since UEFA began its investigation in 2023, Barcelona have continued to receive their UEFA licence without objection and have remained eligible to take part in European competition.
