Barcelona says UEFA has not opened new proceedings after Real Madrid submits Negreira dossier
Barcelona responded on Thursday after Real Madrid submitted a substantial amount of documentation to UEFA in connection with the long-running Negreira case, insisting that no new disciplinary proceedings have been opened or reopened against the club.
UEFA confirmed on Thursday that it had received documents from Real Madrid relating to its ongoing investigation into Barcelona and payments made to Jos Mara Enrquez Negreira. "The UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors have also received these latest documents, which they will assess as part of their ongoing review," UEFA said. Barcelona said the proceedings began in 2023, when two investigators were appointed, and stressed the process had never been closed.
Real Madrid issued a strongly worded statement saying its complaint contained "extensive documentation and evidence" about what it described as serious events affecting the integrity of competition and confidence in the refereeing system, and urged UEFA to move with "the utmost urgency". The Madrid club called on the relevant bodies to take appropriate action in accordance with the severity of the facts and said it would continue to cooperate with UEFA.
Barcelona moved quickly to reject the interpretation that a new case had been opened. "UEFA has not opened any new proceedings against FC Barcelona," the club said. "The Club has always complied with all their requests. These proceedings have not been reopened because they have never been closed." The club added: "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."
The dispute centres on payments Barcelona made to companies linked to Negreira, with the club having paid around €8.4 million to companies associated with Negreira between 2001 and 2018. Barcelona has denied any attempt to influence refereeing decisions, saying the payments were for technical reports and analysis relating to referees and rejecting suggestions the payments were intended to secure favourable treatment from match officials.
The case has remained a major source of tension between the clubs, with Real Madrid repeatedly calling for a full investigation and potential sporting consequences. Club president Florentino Perez previously described the Negreira affair as the "biggest scandal in football history." Real Madrid added: "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." Reports have claimed Real Madrid have asked UEFA to impose sporting sanctions on Barcelona, including stripping the club of the La Liga titles it won during the period in which payments were made; the reported dossier is said to run to around 50,000 pages.
The next step rests with UEFA's Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors, who will assess the documents submitted by Real Madrid as part of their continuing review of the Negreira matter.
