In Barcelona, where the Negreira case has remained a persistent shadow over the club’s institutional life, the latest movement has come from Nyon rather than the pitch. Barcelona has stated that UEFA has not launched a fresh disciplinary case, stressing that the European body’s existing inquiry, opened in 2023, has never been brought to an end.
An investigation still open in Europe
The Catalan club issued its clarification after Real Madrid submitted a substantial body of material to UEFA concerning payments made by Barcelona to José María Enríquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the Spanish Football Federation’s Technical Committee of Referees.
UEFA’s Ethics and Disciplinary inspectors have received the documents and will assess them within the inquiry already under way. UEFA has not announced a separate case, nor has it publicly judged the substance of the evidence supplied by Madrid.
- Barcelona says the UEFA process dates back to 2023 and has remained active throughout.
- The club says two UEFA investigators were appointed at the start of that process.
- Barcelona maintains that it has answered requests made during the investigation.
- The new material lodged by Real Madrid will be added to the existing review rather than triggering a new file.
Barcelona’s response to the Madrid submission
Barcelona rejected descriptions of the UEFA matter being reopened, arguing that a procedure cannot be revived when it was never closed. The club also said that, when it released its statement, UEFA’s investigators had not formally shared Real Madrid’s newly submitted documentation with Barcelona.
No additional requests linked to that material had been received by the club at that point. Barcelona said it would continue to cooperate should the relevant authorities seek further information.
Real Madrid, for its part, considers the documents and evidence it supplied to be significant to establishing the facts of the case. The Madrid club has called for the European disciplinary investigation to progress swiftly and says it will remain available to assist UEFA’s bodies.
What the Negreira case concerns
The wider case centres on payments Barcelona made over several years to companies connected with Enríquez Negreira. Spanish judicial proceedings are examining the purpose of those transactions and whether they could have been connected to an attempt to gain influence within Spanish refereeing.
Barcelona’s position has consistently been that the payments covered consultancy work, referee reports and technical analysis. While the Spanish court process continues, UEFA’s disciplinary examination remains in place, now with Real Madrid’s submission included among the material to be considered.
