Real Madrid ask Barcelona for audits and invoices in Negreira case

Barcelona and Real Madrid are both involved in the Negreira case, one of the biggest scandals in Spanish football history. The case concerns José María Enríquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

According to previously published findings, FC Barcelona have been accused of paying €8.4 million to Negreira between 2001 and 2018, allegedly to influence refereeing decisions. Both Barcelona and Negreira have denied the accusations. The club claims the payments were made to hire Negreira as a consultant, who provided technical reports on refereeing, while Negreira stated that Barcelona paid him to ensure neutrality in refereeing.

In 2024, a Spanish court dismissed the bribery charges, ruling that Negreira was not considered a public official under Spanish law. However, the case has continued under the charge of sports corruption. Some argue that paying the vice-president of the CTA should still be considered a crime, while Barcelona’s legal team maintains there is no evidence that money was used to influence referees in any matches.

The investigation has now taken a new turn, with Real Madrid formally requesting the following documents: internal audits carried out at FC Barcelona between 2010 and 2018, the club’s annual accounts and corresponding external audits, minutes from meetings of the club’s Tax Governance Committee, and all communications, extrajudicial or judicial claims sent to FC Barcelona on behalf of Dasnil 95 S.L. and/or José María Enríquez Negreira.

In addition, journalist Ramón Álvarez reported that Real Madrid have asked the court to include a statement made by Joan Laporta in 2009. At the time, Laporta said: “Real Madrid signing a former referee? I’m sure they know what they’re doing, but for us, we respect the refereeing institution and structure. They do their job well. We won’t be making any signing like that, and we don’t know that market anyway.” Real Madrid argue that this statement conflicts with Barcelona’s explanation that Negreira was paid solely to provide technical refereeing reports.

Real Madrid reportedly decided to become actively involved in the case after Barcelona withdrew from the Super League project and reconnected with UEFA. So far, Barcelona have not issued any response to these latest requests from their rivals.