UEFA received “a substantial number of documents” from Real Madrid concerning their probe into the Negreira case on Thursday.
Money that Barcelona paid to companies associated with José María Enriquez Negreira, who once served as the vice-president of Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees, has been under UEFA probe since 2023, along with a separate criminal probe in Spain.
Inside Real Madrid’s Submission to UEFA
The payments, which exceeded €7 million ($7.9m), were claimed to be paid for refereeing reports, ESPN reported.
“UEFA can confirm that it has received from Real Madrid CF a substantial amount of documents related to the ongoing investigation into FC Barcelona in the matter involving José María Enríquez Negreira,” UEFA confirmed in a statement on Thursday.
“The UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors have also received these latest documents which they will assess as part of their ongoing review.”
Real Madrid said the dossier included “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 C.F. considers it essential that, now that UEFA has this documentation, the investigation proceeds with the utmost urgency until its full conclusion, and that the competent bodies take the appropriate decisions in accordance with the severity of the verified facts,” the club said.
“Our club will continue to actively collaborate with UEFA and take all actions within its power to clarify events that it deems incompatible with the principles of integrity, transparency, and fair play that should govern European football.”
During the month of May, the Madrid chairman Florentino Pérez stated that the club was collecting evidence that would be included in the dossier to be presented to UEFA.
Although the president had before maintained an amicable approach towards Barcelona, who had at the beginning of 2024 told the club that they needed to “help each other out,” Pérez has become very harsh towards his opponents in the LaLiga league.
“They’ve stolen seven league [titles] from me,” Pérez said in May.
Barcelona Clarifies UEFA Statement
In a statement, Barcelona emphasized that Thursday’s development did not equate to “any new proceedings.”
“The proceedings were initiated in 2023, with the appointment of two investigators who have since carried out the action they deemed appropriate,” Barcelona said. “The Club has always complied with all their requests. These proceedings have not been reopened because they have never been closed.
“It is up to the investigators to determine what action, if any, they consider appropriate regarding this documentation. As of today, they have not made any new requests to FC Barcelona nor have they forwarded Real Madrid’s complaint to the Club. Should they do so, the Club will respond accordingly, as it has done up to now.
“In accordance with the applicable legislation governing this matter, these proceedings are subject to the outcome of the criminal case currently being heard in Spain and will continue to be so.”
