UEFA’s scrutiny of the Negreira case has taken another turn after receiving a large body of material submitted by Real Madrid against Barcelona. The documents, sent by the Spanish club after it announced its move in June, are now with UEFA’s ethics and disciplinary inspectors for assessment.
The move
Real Madrid has provided UEFA with what it describes as extensive evidence linked to allegations surrounding payments made by Barcelona to José María Enríquez Negreira, a former vice-president of Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees.
The submission is said to contain around 50,000 pages. UEFA confirmed it had received a substantial volume of documents and said its inspectors would consider the new material as part of the ongoing review of the case.
Madrid called the alleged facts “of extraordinary seriousness”, arguing that they directly concern the integrity of competition and public confidence in refereeing. The club said UEFA should take the inquiry forward as quickly as possible until it reaches a full conclusion.
Real Madrid also said it would continue to cooperate actively with UEFA during the process.
The case around Barcelona
Barcelona are accused of making payments totalling about €7.3 million between 2001 and 2018 to Enríquez Negreira.
The Catalan club has consistently maintained that the money was paid for consultancy work and reports on refereeing, rather than for any improper purpose.
- Barcelona: accused over payments of approximately €7.3 million made from 2001 to 2018.
- José María Enríquez Negreira: former vice-president of Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees and recipient of the payments under investigation.
- Real Madrid: submitted new documentation to UEFA and has requested a swift continuation of the investigation.
UEFA’s inspectors will now assess the material delivered by Madrid before any further step in the disciplinary process is determined.
