Real Madrid has asked UEFA to continue its investigation into the ‘Negreira case’. This follows UEFA confirming it received the club's complaint about payments made by Barcelona to a former senior referee official.
On Thursday, Real Madrid released a statement on its website. The club said UEFA had received its complaint and would keep investigating the payments made over nearly twenty years by FC Barcelona to José María Enríquez Negreira. Negreira was the vice-president of Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees.
Real Madrid stated that it submitted a lot of documents and evidence. They believe this information raises serious questions about fairness in the competition and trust in the refereeing system.
“UEFA has confirmed the receipt of the complaint filed by Real Madrid C.F. and the continuation of the investigation concerning payments made over the past two decades by F.C. Barcelona to the former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees,” the club said.
“Real Madrid C.F. considers it essential that, now that UEFA has this documentation, the investigation proceeds with the utmost urgency until its full conclusion. The competent bodies should make the right decisions based on the verified facts,” they added.
Real Madrid explained that its complaint aims to make sure the right football authorities fully investigate the issue.
“The complaint filed by our club includes extensive documentation and evidence regarding events of extraordinary seriousness, which directly affect the integrity of the competition and confidence in the refereeing system,” Real Madrid said.
They also mentioned that they would keep working with UEFA while taking necessary steps to find out the facts.
“Our club will continue to actively collaborate with UEFA. We will take all actions within our power to clarify events that are incompatible with the principles of integrity, transparency, and fair play that should govern European football,” Real Madrid said.
The Negreira case focuses on payments made by Barcelona to companies linked to Negreira. He was vice-president of the refereeing committee from 1994 to 2018.
Spanish prosecutors claimed that these payments were meant to influence refereeing decisions. However, Barcelona has denied this and stated that the payments were for technical refereeing reports and advice.
In March 2023, UEFA appointed Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors to look into possible violations by Barcelona in connection with this case.
Spanish authorities are also investigating this case. The allegations include whether the payments affected the integrity of football competitions. Everyone agrees that the payments happened, but the main issue is their purpose and if they involved any wrongdoing.
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