Barcelona paid a company owned by the vice president of Spanish football’s refereeing committee a total of €7.3million (£6.4m; $7.8m) between 2001 and 2018 That was one of the most seismic revelations of a dramatic year for Spanish football in 2023 — with former Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales also dominating headlines Since details of Barca’s payments emerged in February of that year a Barcelona court has been investigating what has become known as the Negreira case — referring to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira the man whose company received that money from the Catalan club ex-club officials and Negreira were indicted for “corruption” “breach of trust” and “false business records” the case is still at the evidence-gathering stage The ‘Caso Negreira’ exploded on 15 February 2023 reported that Barcelona had been paying a company belonging to Enriquez Negreira The payments came to light due to an investigation by Spanish tax authorities into a filing made by Negreira’s company (DASNIL 95) which included a sum of €1.4million paid by the La Liga club between 2016 and 2018 Inside Barca's day of chaos as new scandal breaks - this one looks really bad It soon emerged that Barca had paid a total of €7.3million to Negreira’s companies between 2001 and 2018 a period when he was vice president of the Spanish FA’s technical committee of referees (CTA) Barcelona-born Negreira refereed games across Spain’s top two divisions from 1979 to 1992 He was number two to long-serving chief Victoriano Sanchez Arminio Negreira held that post until 2018 — the year when the Barca payments stopped When details of the payments first emerged in Spanish media, several outlets published quotes attributed to Negreira from leaked testimony to Spain’s tax authorities. In this, he said Barcelona had paid him “to make sure no refereeing decisions were made against them, which is to say, for everything to be neutral”. El Mundo also published details of a burofax — the Spanish equivalent of a special registered letter — that Negreira sent to Barcelona in 2018 Negreira stated that he would cause “a scandal” by “revealing with no hesitation all the irregularities from the club I’ve lived through first-hand” unless payments are resumed Current Barcelona president Joan Laporta admitted in April 2023 that the payments to Negreira had been recorded in the club’s accounts “They were recorded with detailed invoices with the appropriate concept and they were paid through bank transfers,” Laporta said in a press conference Laporta insisted these were legitimate payments made to Negreira as an “external consultant” who provided reports “related to professional refereeing” He added: “FC Barcelona has not committed any activity with the purpose of altering the result of a competition I am fully convinced and can categorically state this.” former Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu told The Athletic it was Negreira’s son who compiled these reports on referees set to take charge of their upcoming games Various former and current Barca coaches and players have rejected the idea that the trophies won during the time of the payments, when the team featured stars such as Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Lionel Messi were in any way influenced by favourable refereeing decisions Ernesto Valverde said: “During my time in Barcelona (2017-2020) I didn’t look at them (Negreira’s reports) and actually didn’t even know they existed we have our reports about the referees that we are going to have on the next game I imagine the story will get clearer with time We don’t have the full picture so I prefer to remain cautious about that.” Barca’s manager from 2008-2012 said: “What I’m pretty sure (of) is when Barcelona won it was because they were better than the opponents We won because we were far better than our rivals But justice will decide what really happened.” any attempt to “pre-determine or alter in a deliberate and fraudulent manner the result of a match or competition” is a crime Barcelona were indicted for “sporting corruption” “breach of trust” and “false business records” by public prosecutors in the Catalan capital Bartomeu (Barca president from 2014-2020) and Sandro Rosell (president from 2010-2014) were also indicted on the same charges as were ex-club officials Oscar Grau and Albert Soler Payments to Negreira were made during his first spell as president from 2003-2010 but the statute of limitations for an investigation into that time has expired Laporta became Barca president for a second time in 2021 Spanish police searched offices at the Camp Nou and the Spanish FA and have interviewed those under investigation Judge Joaquin Aguirre Lopez placed Negreira’s son Javier under investigation — changing his status in the case from that of a witness — over charges of money laundering Aguirre said no evidence had been found to show the payments had been made to influence match results with a further potential charge of “bribery” added for Barca as an institution they have denied all the charges against them Barcelona won't face bribery charges in Negreira case Negreira appeared in court but declined to answer any questions The 79-year-old’s legal team say he has been diagnosed as suffering from Alzheimer’s disease a Barcelona provincial court ruled that bribery charges could not be pursued however the original sporting corruption charges remained in place Barca viewed this as a victory for their legal team — and it meant the current club hierarchy were no longer being investigated Barcelona’s legal counsel also argued that the club itself should be allowed to enter the case as a damaged party There has been lots of official condemnation of a club making secret payments to a referees’ chief — but no action has been taken “It’s incomprehensible that Barca was paying the vice-president of the referees for so many years,” La Liga president Javier Tebas said at a press conference in April 2023 but there are indications that the payments were intended to influence The mere intention can be punishable conduct.” Tebas also said that Barca would not be punished by Spanish sport authorities as five years had passed since the last payment had been made and the statute of limitation in sport is just three years Meanwhile, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin described the situation as “one of the most serious in football that I have ever seen” in an interview with the Slovenian newspaper Ekipa He added: “I cannot comment directly on this for two reasons because we have an independent disciplinary committee in charge of this because I have not dealt with this matter in detail The matter is time-barred for La Liga; for UEFA Laporta met Ceferin a few weeks later to discuss the case a UEFA report acknowledged the existence of Barcelona’s payments to Negreira but its investigators decided against any punishment and Barca have continued to play in UEFA competition since Spanish police raided Spanish FA offices in Madrid and gathered evidence No arrests were made and the Spanish FA said in a statement it was cooperating fully with the authorities “It’s a very serious situation which damages refereeing and Spanish football,” current CTA president Luis Medina Cantalejo (a former colleague of Negreira) told a press conference in November 2023 Real Madrid’s decision to enter the case in April 2023 as a damaged party was a key moment in a polarising issue within Spanish football Laporta responded by saying in a press conference that he was amazed that Barca’s Clasico rivals would complain given that: “Madrid was historically favoured in refereeing decisions economic and sporting power for 70 years.” Everyone listening knew that the ‘regime’ that Laporta was referring to was the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco who ruled Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975 Real Madrid & Franco: How two rivals united in exploiting a painful divide Real Madrid’s TV station responded to those comments by broadcasting a video claiming that Franco’s regime had actually favoured Barcelona The video ended with Madrid’s former president Santiago Bernabeu saying: “Whenever I hear Real Madrid described as ‘the team of the regime’ it makes me want to s*** on the father of whoever says it.” pic.twitter.com/LEWjCBkzbs — Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 18, 2023 That caused serious tension between the clubs and Madrid president Florentino Perez stopped attending Clasicos in Barcelona Although their institutional relationship has since improved fans and pundits on both sides regularly stoke fires Madrid-boosting media in the Spanish capital never miss a chance to shout Negreira whenever a close refereeing call goes Barca’s way That brings its own sensitive reaction from Blaugrana supporters and reporters who feel that officialdom in Madrid is still biased against them It has all added to a general lack of faith in refereeing in Spain “The Negreira case is a pity for football,” former match official Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez told The Athletic in March 2024 Ex-La Liga ref Iturralde: 'Nobody in football really wants justice The most recent development came in late August when prosecutors charged Negreira’s partner Ana Paula Rufas with money laundering — having reportedly found €3million transferred into bank accounts in her name over the period 1992 to 2023 Judge Aguirre added another six months to the ‘instruction phase’ or evidence-gathering stage of the investigation Barca’s annual financial report sent to club members earlier this month said the investigation had not yet found any evidence of corruption in a sporting environment a value on potential financial and sporting consequences could not be set the investigators need compelling evidence that a crime was committed: that Barca’s payments to Negreira were made with the intention of influencing sporting events or that such an influence actually took place A strong case that this happened does not appear to have yet been made Sources with knowledge of the case — who preferred to remain anonymous to protect their position — suggest that given the number of charges and witnesses involved it will take years until the full investigation is completed (Top photo: David Zorrakino/Europa Press via Getty Images) Dermot joined The Athletic in 2020 and has been our main La Liga Correspondent up until now. Irish-born, he has spent more than a decade living in Madrid and writing about Spanish football for ESPN, the UK Independent and the Irish Examiner. Follow Dermot on Twitter @dermotmcorrigan Former FC Barcelona presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell will testify as people interested in the Negreira referee corruption case in June Both former leaders are part of the investigation on the alleged payments made by Barça for 18 years to the former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) The judge is investigating the alleged €7.5 million Rosell and Bartomeu had already been charged with corruption back in March 2023 regarding these alleged payments Bartomeu will testify on June 17 and Rosell on June 30 The first former president's testimony will coincide with the testimony of Ana Paula Rufás Rosell will testify on the same day as Enríquez and former Barça board members Albert Soler and Òscar Grau Back in May, a court in Barcelona ruled that the jury could not investigate FC Barcelona on bribery charges as the vice president of the referees' team was not a public employee. Therefore, the case could only continue as sports corruption Negreira was the vice president of the CTA between 1994 and 2018 On March 10, prosecutors accused FC Barcelona, Negreira, two former Barça presidents, Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, and two former Barça directors, Òscar Grau and Albert Soler, of corruption.   The letter submitted to the court accused Barça of having "reached and maintained a strictly confidential verbal agreement with the accused Negreira in his capacity as vice president of the CTA and in exchange for money he would carry out actions tending to favor FCB in the decision-making of the referees in matches that the club played and thus in the results of competitions."  The fact that the charges made are 'continuous,' as opposed to a one-off event means that the potential penalties could be even larger.  Current Barça president Joan Laporta has fervently denied the club have ever cheated: "Barça has never carried out any action with the objective or the intention of altering competitions or obtaining any competitive advantage."  Listen to our Filling the Sink podcast episode published on April 29, 2023 to learn more about it. On February 15, 2023, FC Barcelona released a statement acknowledging the payments for external services, as reported by Cadena Ser network broadcast. Barcelona have attempted to explain that the payments were for reports, sometimes delivered audiovisually and sometimes verbally, about the characteristics of referees in charge of their games, but the size of the payments involved continues to raise eyebrows. Get the day's biggest stories right to your phone OKDiario reports today that the Negreira Case is nearing its end The case will supposedly be dismissed due to a procedural error it mentions that the head of the Barcelona Investigative Court number 13 "has decided to suspend the testimonies of his wife Ana María Rufas and the FC Barcelona executives Sandro Rosell The interviews were scheduled for June but have been postponed without setting any alternative date was summoned to testify before the judge in 2024 but refused retired in January without setting a date for the interrogations Judge Alejandra Gil has taken over and has suspended the testimonies scheduled by Joaquín Aguirre After two years of investigations into the case the judge extends the investigation by six more months with new proceedings The same source states that "the extension order was notified past the deadline to the lawyers something that could have led to the suspension of the testimonies scheduled for next June The extension had to be made before March 1 the judge issued a resolution dated February 26 but it was not delivered to the defendants' defenses until March 13." lawyers like the former Barça executive Albert Soler's have requested the annulment of the extension a request to which FC Barcelona has also adhered The annulment would be the preliminary step to dismissing the procedure The judge is now focusing on tracing the money paid by FC Barcelona  (7 million euros between 2001 and 2018) to find out if there could have been an illegitimate payment to soccer referees It is the possible systemic corruption  that the judge who originally handled the case spoke about OK Diario adds that "the Civil Guard has not been able to conclude that it is proven that these payments were intended for 'alleged advisory services in arbitration matters.' president of the National Center for Soccer Coaches Training and expert in the Negreira case talks about "Total Overturn" and announces that "the case should be dismissed due to a procedural defect." He adds in a message posted on social media: -"The SUSPENSION of these testimonies IS NOT COINCIDENTAL and is due to the EXPIRATION of the PROCEEDINGS -The extension of the investigation was issued on February 26 and communicated to the parties on March 13 This fact could lead to the DISMISSAL OF THE CASE the extension of the deadline to carry out the investigation is NO LONGER VALID the communication made on March 13 is invalid from a procedural point of view as it was made after the deadline had expired -Since the EXTENSION HAS EXPIRED without the investigation being completed within the legally allowed time the judge should issue a DISMISSAL order or DISMISS THE CASE since the investigation can't continue without the legal support of a valid extension the lack of communication or late notification can be understood as a violation of the right to due process and defense -The parties have the right to be informed about the status of the investigation and any relevant decision that impacts their legal situation -It should be noted that the extension order was notified to the lawyers once the deadline had passed which could have led to the suspension of the testimonies scheduled for June -The extension should have been made before March 1 the judge solved the matter on February 26 but this resolution was not delivered to the defendants' defenses until March 13 -According to Article 324 of the Criminal Procedure Law (LECrim) if the extension of the investigation expires and is not properly communicated the investigation period is considered closed This obliges the judge to dismiss the case or -The Second Chamber of the Supreme Court has already had the opportunity to rule on that provision and circumstances at length in view of the proceedings carried out in the investigation must issue either a dismissal order or a transformation of the procedure under penalty of formal and material defenselessness to the parties they have extended it so much that due to ADMINISTRATIVE ERROR AND OUT OF DEADLINES the judge should issue a DISMISSAL order or DISMISS THE CASE since the investigation can't continue without the LEGAL SUPPORT of a VALID EXTENSION." ➡️ F.C. Barcelona ShareSaveCommentBusinessSportsMoneyEx-FC Barcelona Director Implies Club Paid Negreira For ‘Lobby Service’ByTom Sanderson Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights Tom Sanderson is a Barcelona-based writer who covers Spanish football.Follow AuthorOct 02 06:42am EDTShareSaveCommentAn ex-FC Barcelona director said during an appearance on COPE that the club paid the .. More former vice president of the Referees Committee Jose María Enríquez Negreira for a "lobby service" or at least that this is what it was offered by Negreira Barca hasn't denied making payments in general to Negreira which have been valued at more than $8 million from 2001 to 2018 Through figures such as current president Joan Laporta the club insists that the payments were made for honest consultation work Freixa at least admitted to being "scared" of referees in Spain "We have always felt belittled and mistreated or [that there is] a favourable treatment that the club does not have So many mistakes could have been made," he said "A clever guy was selling you a lobby service: 'Don't worry I'll show you how it works and you'll do better'," Freixa added in what has been taken by OK Diario as an admission of paying for bias or favourable treatment "And one president after another after another did not dare to remove that because he thought it was going to be worse for us," Freixa also said Freixa tweeted: "I have never acknowledged payment to referees because they have NEVER existed Do not put words in my mouth that I have not said "Today the whole cavern is putting words in my mouth that I have NEVER said Their mission is to cover up for the state-club what we have ALL seen all our lives," he went on in a nod to the Catalans' bitter rivals Real Madrid Justice will put them in their place," he stressed Laporta remains in the eye of the storm | Real Madrid Confidencial FIRST TEAM 2 Years Since the Negreira Case: What Is Known About the Investigation Into BarçaThe controversial 'Negreira case' continues to tarnish the league competition and the refereeing community.15/02/2025 10:55:00h by Diego Mengual The Controversial "Negreira Case" Continues to Damage Soccer in Spain while the Justice system works to determine responsibilities This story continues to damage the reputation and integrity of a competition that is more questioned than ever It has been 2 years since this scandal broke out and it remains unsolved while the refereeing community is in the eye of the storm There was no intention to alter the competition to gain any sporting advantage In this 'Negreira Case,' services were provided I understand that it is clear with these services that there was no sports corruption," expressed who explained little and washed his hands of this thorny issue Barcelona paid more than 8.5 million euros to José María Enríquez Negreira over 17 years while this figure was vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees of the Royal Spanish Football Federation The investigation process is very close to reaching its conclusion Judge Aguirre's retirement may prolong everything even further The aforementioned judicial authority sees in this whole process a "systemic corruption" although this has not yet been proven in the investigations "It is presumed by pure logic that FC Barcelona would not pay Vice President Negreira around 7 million euros since 2001 if it did not benefit them," explained Judge Aguirre Real Madrid decided in the past to become a party in this case Cantalejo is on the wire | Real Madrid ConfidencialAdditionally the white club is fighting to change the structure of the refereeing establishment currently presided over by Luis Medina Cantalejo What happened at the RCDE Stadium with Carlos Romero's terrible tackle on Kylian Mbappé made Madridists and their leaders explode Florentino Pérez will not stop defending his members Los Blancos dropped points yet again during the away game and squandered the chance to overtake Barcelona in the league table and Isi Palazaon (64') scored for hosts while Fede Valverde (36') and Rodrygo (56') were on the scoresheet for Los Blancos RMTV has now claimed that the team were denied two penalties during the game one for a foul on Arda Guler and another on Vinicius Jr In a stunning rant, RMTV claimed (h/t Diario AS): who has failed to whistle two very clear penalties a push to Guler that has not been whistled and a kick from Mumin to Vinicius that has not been signalled either Vinicius was going on a counter-attack at a gallop and they caught him That’s when Vinicius turned and asked the referee to give him a yellow card Can you guess who Martinez Munuera has given a card to who misses the match against Sevilla due to accumulation of cards You lose two points on a really difficult ground 🚨⚠️ Carlo Ancelotti: “There was a clear penalty on Vinicius. That was obvious and quite clear”. pic.twitter.com/qqQkwoGivt They even brought up the infamous Negreira case involving Barcelona and former RFEF official Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira Martinez Munuera has made very serious mistakes again and always in the same direction It is a refereeing trend always in the same direction This is what happens in this filthy Negreira league you can talk about sporting issues and Real Madrid’s problems The important thing is the filthy Negreira League that Real Madrid has suffered again today But the filthy Negreira league doesn’t invite us to talk about football it invites us to talk about the fact that there is always a victim You are missing two points to fight for La Liga Real Madrid have now dropped points twice in three matches Carlo Ancelotti's side will next play Pachuca in the Intercontinental Cup on December 18 Los Merengues return to La Liga action on December 22 against Sevilla Rayo Vallecano 3-3 Real Madrid: Player Ratings As Jude Bellingham Scores In Draw Transcript: Carlo Ancelotti's Press Conference Following Rayo Vallecano 3-3 Real Madrid Rayo Vallecano 3-3 Real Madrid: Los Blancos Held In Scintillating La Liga Match The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Mateu Lahoz with Negreira on the Sideline | Didac Aguirre FIRST TEAM Mateu Lahoz Digs into the Wound of the Negreira Case is the First Referee to Admit ItThe Unexpected Statements Made by Mateu Lahoz on the Negreira Case17/03/2025 20:50:00h by Didac Aguirre One of the biggest controversies in the history of this sport is With Barcelona showing their true colors through this case Although the "culés" have tried to forget this fact they are occasionally reminded of their dark past the person responsible for recalling this enormous controversy was the former referee Talking about the match between Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid  "It's a shame for him in this case not to have been a client...those who were clients today in UEFA are doing much better," he revealed Mateu Lahoz at the Microphone | Didac AguirreThrough these words Lahoz admitted that the clients of Negreira's son have received support to succeed Despite praising the work of Burgos Bengoetxea these statements have given much to think about Lahoz has always given his opinion on current refereeing Lahoz has never spoken as clearly as with the Negreira case the former referee has had no problem reigniting the controversy which continues to be affected by this situation of which it is the main suspect Admitting that the referees who are clients of Negreira's son have received constant help José María Enríquez Negreira | Didac AguirreThis means that instead of being rewarded for their excellent work several referees have reached UEFA thanks to Javier Romero since Lahoz chose to change the conversation No matter what Barcelona does in this or the coming seasons the Negreira case will be a stain that will follow them for life it is evident that the reputation of the "blaugrana" club continues to plummet Tebas accuses Real Madrid of trying to damage LaLigaLaLiga president Javier Tebas strongly criticized Real Madrid claiming that the club "is against everything and wants to harm the competition." His statements came after the Madrid-based team refused to attend a crucial meeting between LaLiga and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) which was attended by all professional clubs except Madrid and the final straw was the statement they released the other day They have been pushing this discourse for a long time What they are trying to do is influence the competition in a way that cannot be allowed," Tebas said reiterating his frustration with the club's stance the LaLiga president announced that legal action will be taken against Real Madrid We are analyzing whether it will be against the club There are falsehoods or half-truths in their statement and this cannot go unchallenged," he assured Another key point Javier Tebas addressed was Real Madrid's stance on the Negreira case in which FC Barcelona is under investigation the Madrid club has exaggerated the situation to attack the competition "They have made a poor analysis of the Negreira case It has been established that there could have been influence on promotions and relegations but there is no evidence of payments to referees They have built an exaggerated and unfounded narrative," he explained Real Madrid's attitude is part of a strategy to discredit the league They have no other choice but to resort to these kinds of maneuvers Barcelona will not face bribery charges over the club’s €7.3million payments to a former referees chief following a court verdict in the city on Friday ex-club officials and the former vice-president of Spanish football’s refereeing committee “breach of trust” and “false business records” over these payments The status of those charges has not changed — but on Friday morning Section 21 of the Provincial Court of Barcelona ruled against a judge’s decision to pursue further potential charges of bribery Both Barcelona and state anti-corruption prosecutors had opposed Judge Joaquin Aguirre Lopez’s intentions to do so — which he outlined in September and October A club statement read: “FC Barcelona hereby wishes to express its utter satisfaction with the sense of the resolution issued today by the Barcelona court insofar as it confirms the defence presented by the club and rejects the hypothesis of the alleged crime of bribery “We maintain our conviction that justice will prevail and the events pertaining to this indictment can be definitively clarified thereby demonstrating the club’s absolute innocence.” Barcelona’s payments were made to Enriquez Negreira between 2001 and 2018 — the year he left his position with the Spanish FA He and Barca have denied the payments he received constitute any wrongdoing with the club saying he was hired as an “external consultant” who provided reports “related to professional refereeing” Aguirre Lopez said no evidence had been found of Enriquez Negreira paying referees to influence match results and reports in the Spanish press suggested the judge had started to lose hope of finding evidence to support those charges in recent months How Barcelona sees the Negreira scandal: Shame Laporta's Advisor with RM Shield KO | Real Madrid Confidencial FIRST TEAM After Paying Negreira Laporta's Advisor Links Real Madrid to the CTAThe Brutal and Unexpected Attack Real Madrid Has Received from Laporta's Advisor30/04/2025 21:15:00h by Didac Aguirre Real Madrid continues to be at the center of controversy due to their reactions to the refereeing body Besides what happened on the eve of the Copa del Rey final the "Negreira case" continues to generate many comments and analyses about Spanish referees in recent times It also opens the possibility for attacks on Real Madrid like the one recently made by an advisor close to Joan Laporta The Copa del Rey final sparked much discussion even before the match began in response to the appointment of the referees One of the most striking was made by Laporta's advisor "Most of the CTA presidents have been Real Madrid members," he commented in an evident and strong attack on Real Madrid Masip has pointed to Real Madrid as the main beneficiary of having a member as the president of the CTA much of the press has been talking only about the 'Negreira Case'; Every time Barça has done well the same thing has come up." These last words have shown that Masip The history between Real Madrid and Spanish soccer refereeing is a never-ending story Despite not having major problems for much of the season the refereeing stood out for its poor decisions during several matchdays Making decisions that ended up taking the LaLiga lead away from Real Madrid This led Real Madrid to demand changes in refereeing for the benefit of all LaLiga clubs Real Madrid ended up receiving criticisms like those from Masip questioning the values of the merengue institution Enric Masip with Laporta | Didac AguirreMasip's words have been a regrettable attack with which he has sought to make it clear that Madrid has no right to complain Implying that Real Madrid has been favored by the CTA it seems Masip has forgotten whom he advises Real Madrid is the most honorable team in Spain while Barcelona is not Pointed out for various controversies throughout their history the criticisms of the culés are well deserved Inter Milan to build ‘defensive cage’ around Barcelona’s most dangerous player Three things Barcelona must do to beat Inter Milan Barcelona leadership united on signing 24-year-old Bundesliga talent but lack of funds complicates plans Barcelona continue to maintain interest in top Bundesliga defender despite mounting obstacles Former Barcelona captain warns Hansi Flick’s team of Inter’s threat – ‘They will not sit deep’ Ferran start in a 4-2-3-1 – How Barcelona can line up against Inter Milan How Real Madrid attempted a football robbery — but were stopped by FC Barcelona Ferran start in a 4-2-3-1 – How Barcelona can line up against Real Madrid Olmo start in a 4-2-3-1 – How Barcelona can line up against Mallorca Three talking points ahead of Inter Milan vs Barcelona | UEFA Champions League Three talking points from Real Valladolid 1-2 Barcelona | La Liga Raphinha 8.5 | Real Valladolid 1-2 Barcelona: Player ratings Three talking points ahead of Real Valladolid vs Barcelona | La Liga GW 34 Three talking points from Barcelona 3-3 Inter Milan Three key battles that could decide Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund Mbappe arrived but Barcelona evolved: Flick’s tactical triumph over Real Madrid’s Galactico attack Robert Lewandowski – Barcelona’s ageless goal machine leading the title charge Beyond transfers: Deco’s blueprint for Barcelona’s long-term success Back at the top: Pedri reclaims his throne as the best midfielder in the world Marc Casado: Barcelona’s next great pivot Ranking all 15 La Masia talents that made their Barcelona debut under Xavi Barcelona talented La Masia graduate’s market value rises to €75 million Barcelona delighted with the progress of 15-year-old La Masia talent – report ‘La Masia is the essence of Barça’ – Barcelona academy gem reacts after La Liga debut Deco wants to build Barcelona’s future with La Masia La Liga president Javier Tebas recently spoke in detail with The Objective, where he addressed multiple issues, including his ongoing disputes with Real Madrid a key focus of his remarks was the financial situation at FC Barcelona the Catalan club has faced severe restrictions in the transfer market Tebas acknowledged concerns surrounding the club’s attempt to meet the 1:1 spending rule through the sale of VIP seats While this arrangement helped Barcelona register some players La Liga has not yet validated the registrations of Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor Their ability to play has only been possible due to a temporary ruling from the Higher Sports Council Tebas explained that Barcelona had appealed La Liga’s initial decision regarding their financial manoeuvres The league had placed strict conditions on these deals demanding that 40% of the agreed amount be paid upfront in cash La Liga’s Economic Control Committee found irregularities in the deal One of the companies involved had a registered capital of just €3,000 and was run by an individual with an obscure background FC Barcelona appealed to the internal bodies of LaLiga because we had denied them or put a very high guarantee in those contracts They had to advance 40% of the contracts in cash,” he began saying “In the internal appeals filed by Barcelona LaLiga’s Economic Control Committee applied the validation rule and found that one of the companies involved had a share capital of only €3,000 and was run by an unknown person with several businesses of dubious origin.” La Liga flagged this partnership as questionable since the connection with Barcelona dated back to May 2024 Tebas emphasised that the matter had been escalated to the relevant internal bodies and the Higher Sports Council insisting that this was part of La Liga’s standard procedures rather than a targeted action against Barcelona “All this was already in the writings we presented This partnership had a relationship with Barça since May 2024 “We have transferred this information to our internal bodies and to the CSD in our written submissions We are not doing anything special with the CSD; this is part of our normal process.” Tebas sought to differentiate between the legal aspects in play could face accusations of sports corruption “We have to differentiate the crimes that are being investigated La Liga has actively pushed for the investigation to continue believing there is enough evidence to justify a formal trial The league argues that there are sufficient indications that Barcelona engaged in improper conduct but the severity of any potential sentence will depend on the court’s findings we have asked for the investigation to be completed because we believe that there is sufficient evidence to go to oral trial We want the pending evidence to be finished and for the case to move forward,” he said such as mismanagement and document forgery are primarily directed at individuals rather than the club itself “We believe that there are indications for Barça to be convicted of sports corruption although the level of the sentence will depend on what is determined in the trial “As for the crimes of disloyal administration and document forgery these are more linked to individuals who could have committed them.” Tebas also discussed the potential consequences if Barcelona were found guilty of sports corruption He reaffirmed La Liga’s stance that the payments made to former referee official Negreira were intended to influence key footballing decisions “We have asked that the case go to trial because we believe that there is sufficient evidence to determine that FC Barcelona committed a crime of sports corruption with but the payment to Negreira with the intention of influencing promotions and relegations.”  this alone constitutes sports corruption and should be brought to trial Tebas has previously expressed this opinion in various forums and maintains that the evidence supports legal action is already enough to consider that there is sports corruption including one in La Vanguardia in Barcelona and I believe that there are sufficient indications to initiate an oral trial.”  Tebas clarified that even if Barcelona were convicted the club would not face relegation from La Liga He explained that the current Sports Law has a three-year statute of limitations on such cases meaning any administrative punishment is legally impossible While La Liga must follow the existing legal framework Tebas reiterated that there is no concrete proof that Barcelona directly influenced referees through financial means “I don’t make the sports laws; I have to comply with what the Sports Law establishes the statute of limitations for crimes is three years and we cannot invent a different statute of limitations there would be no administrative decrease for this reason,” he noted Source: Mundo Deportivo Achievements • Privacy Policy • Cookie Policy • Licensed Images • Copyright © 2017 - 2024 Barca Universal - info@barcauniversal.com Capello with Barça crest in black and white | Didac Aguirre FIRST TEAM Fabio Capello's Monumental Rant Against Barça and the Negreira Case: What For...?Fabio Capello's assertiveness in giving his opinion regarding the Negreira case07/03/2025 19:40:00h by Didac Aguirre Barcelona has been in a spiral of self-destruction for several seasons. Suffering a severe economic crisis and becoming the laughingstock of all of Europe, the image of the "culés" has been permanently tarnished. Part of the bad reputation that Barcelona now has is due to the controversial Negreira case. "What is sports justice for? It's a very serious case, and it's incomprehensible that Barcelona can get away with something like this without sanction." These were the words of Fabio Capello when discussing this case. The former Real Madrid coach has made it clear his annoyance at the lack of consequences for the acts committed by the "blaugrana" club. Fabio Capello in interview | Didac Aguirre"...I don't care how many years have passed, which aren't that many," he added to conclude his opinion. Through these statements, Capello has called for justice to fulfill its role and duly punish Barcelona. The Negreira case is, by a wide margin, the biggest scandal in the history of this sport. Revealing Barcelona's true face, the club has done everything possible to clean its image. However, comments like Capello's demonstrate that it is quite difficult to forget a controversy of this magnitude. His annoyance at the lack of action from sports justice is a sentiment shared with thousands of people seeking justice. Despite this case being revealed several seasons ago, it is unbelievable that Barcelona remains unpenalized. Pedri worried and pulling his hair | Didac AguirreThis case also shows the great difference with Real Madrid, with the "white" club remaining an example to follow. With its values clearly defined, the "merengue" team continues to demonstrate the reason for its evident superiority over the "culés." In response to Capello's outburst, it is expected that sports justice will get to work on this case. Barcelona can't escape a situation it maintained, with full knowledge, for more than a decade and that shows its true values. ShareSaveCommentBusinessSportsMoneyLa Liga President Accuses FC Barcelona Of ‘Sports Corruption’ And Believes It Will Be SanctionedByTom Sanderson Tom Sanderson is a Barcelona-based writer who covers Spanish football.Follow AuthorSep 19 12:45pm EDTShareSaveCommentDuring an appearance on a podcast La Liga president Javier Tebas accused FC Barcelona of "sports .. More corruption" and also voiced a belief that the Catalans will be sanctioned During an appearance on The Wild Project podcast, La Liga president Javier Tebas accused FC Barcelona of "sports corruption" and also voiced a belief that the Catalans will be sanctioned Tebas was asked about the infamous 'Caso Negreira' as it is known in Spain which centers around Barca paying more than $8 million to companies owned by the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira from 2000 to 2018 Barca has always attested that the payments were made for honest consultation work "We maintain our conviction that justice will prevail and the events pertaining to this indictment can be definitively clarified thereby demonstrating the club's absolute innocence," it added Tebas said that La Liga believes the scandal "has to be clarified as much as possible" "We have submitted certain documents for research In this case it has not been proven that referees have been paid and I do not believe that it [will be] proven either," he added "Barcelona paid Negreira because he sold them [the belief] that he could influence the promotions and relegations of referees He sold them [the belief] that Barcelona could have more influence on that "But it will not be possible to prove it," Tebas continued "They are not going to reach any referee I think Barcelona will have their sanction but not at the level of the narrative that is being built from Madrid "I think it's going to [go on for] a long time I don't think it will come out that Negreira paid money to referees," Tebas predicted Moving on to Madrid president Florentino Perez Tebas accused the construction magnate of "removing and replacing" newspaper directors and stated that he is worried about the influence Perez has "I say what I think and he doesn't like it," Tebas remarked about his arch nemesis with whom he has clashed greatly in recent years over the thus failed breakaway European Super League Toni Freixa with his mouth open, Negreira in the background, and a Barça crest | Real Madrid Confidencial FIRST TEAM Toni Freixa doesn't hold back and says it on El Chiringuito: 'Negreira's service was'The former Barça executive reveals a disclosure about the Negreira case06/02/2025 10:26:00h by Borja Díaz Barcelona has gone through various phases regarding the Negreira case and its attitude toward it although that didn't last long as it was unsustainable albeit in a clumsy and very unconvincing way But now they are starting to cross all limits taking it as a joke despite the seriousness of the matter who was a director during the years when payments were made to the vice president of the referees But it seems that it's something funny to him according to his comments Mbappé on the ground after Carlos Romero's tackle | Real Madrid Confidencial"We should play the Pink Panther music every time Enríquez Negreira appears," he said mockingly where he left no one indifferent with his tone He sees it as normal to pay the vice president of the CTA Josep Pedrerol asked him "why did you waste the money?" when making those payments to Negreira But Freixa retorted: "What money is going to be wasted they already acknowledge that there were payments to achieve something Laporta speaking with a microphone in hand | Real Madrid ConfidencialThe subconscious has betrayed Freixa as he pointed out the intentions of the blaugranas with their payments They hired a service and also noted that "it was very good," which increases suspicions It's clear that the culé club has changed its strategy but it doesn't work for them Barcelona fans don't want the Negreira case to be discussed That's why they have dedicated themselves to criticizing all those who try to bring it to light to avoid having to explain themselves in the face of a historic scandal Freixa has chosen to attack by disrespecting and trying to discredit the information that comes out you're inventing all day to not talk about your own issues," he said Investigations into the 'Negreira case' continue to uncover much more information | Real Madrid Confidencial FIRST TEAM The Negreira Case is Worse Barça Paid Even More and There's Another Former Referee InvolvedThe investigations into this sports scandal continue and reveal impressive details06/12/2024 10:15:00h by Enrique Sanz One of the most important investigations at a judicial and journalistic level in our country at the moment is the 'Negreira case' All the investigations carried out around the proven relationship that linked the former vice president of the referees with FC Barcelona are not sufficient LaSexta investigative journalist Alfonso Medina has revealed a new twist regarding the 'Negreira case' Because the former vice president of the CTA wouldn't only have received the money sent by FC Barcelona through transfers to the companies he controlled Enríquez Negreira during his time as a referee | Real Madrid Confidencial He would also have had the help of people he trusted a Javier Enríquez 'supervised' by the coaching courses and the referees' trips to and from Camp Nou But the name José Martínez Alfonso appears out of nowhere to add more complications and avenues of investigation is one of José María Enríquez Negreira's close friends LaSexta has revealed that he carried the bundles of money given by FC Barcelona to deposit them in the corresponding banks He also performed key functions for the system since he scored the referees according to assessments that Negreira himself shared The information provided by Alfonso Medina appears to be based on the investigations carried out by the Civil Guard in recent months complying with the instruction phase of the 'case' is continuing with investigations that have placed José Martínez Alfonso as a man with a key role Everything points to the fact that the Guardia Civil will have to continue with the investigation of the 'Negreira case' potentially uncovering even more 'secrets' Unraveling the full workings of the relationship between Enríquez Negreira and FC Barcelona seems to be the main objective of the investigating magistrates Enriquez Negreira during one of his visits to the court | Real Madrid ConfidencialJudge Joaquín Aguirre announced that he would leave the investigation several weeks ago after requesting a retirement that will be formalized next January Judge Gil's position is not permanent because the investigation of this case will have to be put out to tender for all the judges of the investigating court number 1 of Barcelona will all the investigations be able to be fully resumed Juanma Rodríguez and the Barça shield | Real Madrid Confidencial FIRST TEAM Juanma Rodríguez Explodes on Social Media Against Barcelona and Leaves Them SpeechlessThe journalist wanted to remember that Barça has paid Negreira for 17 years and continues to compete in LaLiga09/12/2024 21:05:00h by Alex Moreno Journalist Juanma Rodríguez has once again sparked controversy with his statements about FC Barcelona he launched a strong message related to the Negreira case But Barcelona was paying 8.4 million euros to the vice president of referees for 17 years and is still competing in the League The reference to the controversial case has ignited social media known for his critical stance toward the Catalan club didn't hesitate to point out the seriousness of the matter His comment reopened the debate between Real Madrid and Barça fans in which Barcelona is being investigated for payments to the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees Although the club has defended that the payments were for "technical advice" The journalist's tweet quickly racked up thousands of interactions others accused him of fueling a media campaign against Barça "It's incredible that this doesn't have more serious consequences for Spanish soccer," replied one user pointing out that no irregularities have yet been proven Juanma Rodríguez is known for his direct and unfiltered style especially on topics related to Real Madrid and its historical rivals This is not the first time he has used his platforms to criticize Barça but this message has been one of the most viral The journalist also made it clear that he doesn't intend to soften his stance "I don't understand how they can justify something like this What do you think?" he wrote in another message The Negreira case continues to generate headlines and divide opinions Although the judicial process is moving forward its impact on Barcelona's reputation is evident Comments such as Rodríguez's reflect how the case has transcended sporting matters Juanma Rodríguez shows that the Negreira case will continue to be a recurring topic in the media landscape Florentino Pérez calls for a profound change in the refereeing structure Who should disappear from the refereeing scene The four-page letter sent by Real Madrid to the Federation and the CSD calls for ending the fraud of a "corrupt system." It is about eliminating the remnants of Negreira and his heirs Real Madrid demands the removal of Medina Cantalejo and Clos Gómez from the refereeing map One as the president of the Committee and the other as the head of VAR the removal of all those referees who have a connection with Negreira Medina Cantalejo was a man of Negreira when he was responsible for refereeing in Segunda B Clos Gómez left refereeing in 2017 with an extensive record of harming Real Madrid The list of referees singled out by Real Madrid includes: Javier Alberola Rojas Real Madrid calls for an effective purge of all of them to maintain the good name of Spanish refereeing Real Madrid considers it essential to cleanse refereeing of the remnants of the Negreira Case the former vice president of the Technical Committee who received 8 million euros from Barcelona over 18 years Florentino doesn't understand how the Federation has done nothing to seek refereeing neutrality after one of the biggest scandals in world football was uncovered Real Madrid also calls for the purge of all those referees who were related to Negreira's son and his coaching functions Martínez Munuera paid for the famous courses of the son or Melero López met with him in hotels before the matches and Muñiz Ruiz joined him to the stadiums" Real Madrid will not rest until the purge is effective and the refereeing group is free from ties with Enríquez Negreira ➡️ Real Madrid Josep Pedrerol has interviewed Ángel Villar the former president of the Spanish Football Federation He took the opportunity to bring up the recurring theme of Negreira Angel Villar has stunned Josep Pedrerol with revelations that he had't expected Villar tells Pedrerol that Negreira had no responsibility for the referees But he had no responsibility for the appointment of referees nor did he have responsibility for appointing international referees Nor did he have responsibility for proposing the promotion and demotion of referees." Villar dismantles the theory supported by Pedrerol and a good part of the Madrid/Madrid press that Barça benefited from Negreira rigging the competition Angel Villar didn't reply to what Josep Pedrerol expected | FacebookLittle could be done to rig the competition if Negreira couldn't appoint the referees or reward them with promotions and caps or punish them with relegation Villar added: "We found out afterwards that he was receiving money from Barça Pedrerol asks him: "Did Negreira fail you?" Answer: "Since this is a topic that is currently in criminal proceedings The anser from "Judge" Pedrerol and his particular concept of justice "Because it's been proven that the vice-president of the referees received payment and that shouldn't be judged." Villar concludes: "I appointed him but without knowing that he was being paid by FC Barcelona Do you think I'm going to name him knowing that he is paid by Barcelona?" Pedrerol didn't expect the former president of the Federation to deny any kind of responsibility on Negreira in the appointments It's been two years since the Negreira scandal broke out and still no evidence has emerged incriminating FC Barcelona in match-fixing It is surprising that not a single referee confirms the accusations against Barça | MegaThere are many referees affected by 17 years of Negreira's payments has admitted the slightest suggestion by the then vice-president of the Committee to favor Barça This is not because the media hasn't paid attention the main investigative journalism in Madrid: Not a single piece of evidence confirming that Barça rigged the competition Pedrerol doesn't miss the opportunity to use the issue as an argument He'll know what dark interests are involved Carlo Ancelotti knows where he is and how the club feels about the refereeing scandals of recent months and years He was asked in a press conference about Tebas and Negreira and showed his alignment with the club The physical condition of Mbappé was also discussed in the press conference It's a process for him and like for all young players He needs time to join the best squad in the world I don't want to see a player happy when he doesn't play This is a small part of the time I spend with him I don't know if they have the same idea as I do "Veterans are like grandparents who sometimes tire you out by talking every day There are people who are tired of seeing my face every day We have to see what kind of line-up I make The legend has the right to do whatever he wants "He played 70 minutes and the knee is perfect I think everyone is proud to be fans of this club." Since I've been here  he disrespects millions of Madridists by talking like that and he should focus more on solving the problems of Spanish soccer." Compare Tebas with Presidents of Other Leagues Galliani is the best director in the world." "If I said that Asencio had technical weakness and we work with him like with all the young players from the academy "We haven't worked on the technical aspect with him Sometimes aggressiveness is not the most appropriate It's Been Two Years Since the Negreira Case Was Uncovered The media that protect Real Madrid are full of the word Negreira Yolanda Parga rules over the female soccer referees She does so while receiving a paycheck from Real Madrid at home a former referee and currently a paid delegate of Real Madrid Yolanda Parga not only rates referees who perform poorly according to Real Madrid TV's criteria She also controls the female soccer refereeing scene The result of her virtues was seen in the last women's clásico: 1-3 in favor of Real Madrid even though a Real Madrid player was breaking the offside by a meter we went to 1-2 and then to 1-3 with a goal that wasn't clear if it went in they haven't reacted as Real Madrid would through Florentino's private TV Complaint because the disallowed goal was a scandal Self-criticism for the remaining 80 minutes and on to another League Now the difference separating Barça from Real Madrid is "only" four points Real Madrid needs to win everything and wait for Barça to lose two games Something that can only be imaginable with refereeing like yesterday's leaves another league seen for sentencing for Barça No matter how much fraudulent history Real Madrid made in Montjuïc That clásico will be a bad memory for Barça who will never erase the 18 previous humiliations to Real Madrid nor the Cup that is about to fall nor again the Champions League Joan Laporta names the scandal experienced at the Olympic stadium The propaganda machinery that wraps Florentino Pérez has already forgotten how that result was reached Just as only the 15 Champions League and the 36 leagues count It is forbidden to delve into how they were achieved there's no room to reflect on how it came about They do it so well in the capital that they even consider the disallowed goal to Barça as valid The best news for Barça is that Toril boasts and maybe even continues as Real Madrid's coach they already believe they are better than Barça in the future 18 matches humiliating Real Madrid are not history It will be because fraud is very present in Real Madrid's trophy room and no longer surprises anyone Olatz Rivera Olmedo was the referee responsible for the mess Referees who harm Real Madrid are sent to the fridge Yolanda Parga has reserved a prize: this year's Euro Cup and the 2026 World Cup in Brazil The upcoming thrashings to Real Madrid will gain greater prominence after discovering that female soccer exists Against everything and everyone: the refereeing and the propaganda machinery at the service of Florentino Pérez Eduardo Inda reveals the secrets of Medina Cantalejo's "cortijo." | Real Madrid Confidencial FIRST TEAM Eduardo Inda reveals the role of Medina Cantalejo and Clos Gómez heads of the CTA and VARThe renowned journalist reveals Medina Cantalejo's relationship with Enríquez Negreira04/02/2025 13:45:00h by Sergio Iglesias The last few hours have been very important for the future of Spanish referees The Technical Committee of Referees gathered the referees of First and Second Division last Monday to address the events of the previous weekend didn't hide his discontent over the incidents that occurred in both categories The leader took the opportunity to convey a clear and energetic message urging referees to maintain greater discipline in their work Medina Cantalejo has already taken measures with Iglesias Villanueva and Muñiz Ruiz | Real Madrid ConfidencialMedina Cantalejo's measures with Muñiz Ruiz and Iglesias VillanuevaFor the moment the first action taken is that several of those referees will be removed from their duties for a while It is mentioned that up to ten could be affected including Muñiz Ruiz and Iglesias Villanueva who were involved in the incident in Barcelona the meeting between the CTA and the referees had not been scheduled in advance it was the referees' own leaders who decided to call it urgently due to the events that occurred in the previous matchday Eduardo Inda appeared on 'El Chiringuito de Jugones' to talk about the relationship between Medina Cantalejo and Enríquez Negreira The renowned journalist revealed some of the most hidden secrets of the 'cortijo' that currently governs the current influential Sevillian referee spent many years working under the orders of Enríquez Negreira Medina Cantalejo served as his assistant and acted as his informant for what was the now-defunct Segunda División B Spanish football is still refereed by Negreira who either paid Negreira's son well or were escorted by him when they went to Camp Nou" That's why what happened to Real Madrid the other day happens The club could still face penalties for other charges A new court ruling in favor of FC Barcelona has made it clear that the club will not face bribery charges in the so-called “Negreira case.” The charges stem over payments made to a former refereeing official Both the club and Negreira have said that they did not break any laws and that the payments were in exchange for written reports about referee performances Judge Joaquin Aguirre Lopez intended to prosecute Barcelona on bribery charges over these payments “FC Barcelona hereby wishes to express its utter satisfaction with the sense of the resolution issued today by the Barcelona court insofar as it confirms the defence presented by the club and rejects the hypothesis of the alleged crime of bribery,” the club said in a statement The judge will still be able to pursue convictions against Barcelona over corruption Aguirre Lopez has admitted he has found no evidence that Negreira paid referees to influence match results Florentino speaking with the RFEF headquarters behind and Louzán in a circle | Real Madrid Confidencial FIRST TEAM Rafael Louzán Reveals What Florentino Told Him: 'The Referees'In an interview he highlighted the message conveyed to him from Real Madrid29/01/2025 10:17:00h by Borja Díaz the Royal Spanish Soccer Federation has had a new president Rafael Louzán was appointed to the position and has significant challenges ahead or moving past Rubiales's tenure are complicated hurdles he surprised everyone by talking about Florentino in an interview conducted by Josep Pedrerol The new president of the RFEF revealed what the Madrid told him He is particularly insistent on the issue of referees and everything that has happened seated at the Spanish Super Cup | Movistar Plus+He revealed that a year ago in Arabia "You have to solve that referee issue that's hurting us and we've lost many titles because of it," the Madrid president told him he also acknowledged the proposal Florentino made to make everything more impartial "He told me one day that he was going to bring English referees to officiate," Louzán commented on what Florentino requested It's clear that it would be a measure to make soccer more transparent the Spanish football world went into shock over what had been discovered A club had been paying the vice president of the CTA for years and some investigated referees are still officiating Florentino and Laporta smiling posing together | Real Madrid ConfidencialLouzán revealed that "Florentino reminds me from time to time about the Negreira case." The white president tells him to "solve the Negreira case," although the former washes his hands of it He claims it's in the hands of justice and that he can't do anything A situation that harms Spanish football in general because no measures have been taken regarding it The president of the RFEF also pointed out the message conveyed by his Real Madrid counterpart "Florentino firmly states that he feels disadvantaged in the refereeing field," he concluded and the refereeing complaints coming from the White club He also stated that he feels “ashamed” of the current state of Spanish football Javier Tebas was very direct when discussing the “Negreira case,” the scandal involving FC Barcelona’s payments to the former vice-president of the Referees’ Technical Committee “Sports corruption falls within the criminal sphere who also insisted that the case is still open in the ordinary courts within the disciplinary framework of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) making it impossible to sanction the club in national competitions He stated: “If it had not been time-barred Barcelona would have already been relegated.” Tebas also criticized Florentino Pérez’s stance on the scandal pointing out that the Real Madrid president was part of the RFEF’s Governing Board until November 2023 but “remained silent” until the case became public Tebas expressed his frustration over Dani Olmo’s registration in LaLiga and FC Barcelona’s financial management: “Olmo should not finish the league at Barça” due to the club’s financial difficulties they already knew they had to find solutions but they tried to solve it within three days and trying to do things like that wouldn’t work,” he said referring to the club’s last-minute attempt to fix the issue he pointed out that the company guaranteeing the payment “didn’t seem very solvent” and that everything was resolved within twenty-four hours thanks to precautionary measures granted by the CSD beyond drawing the attention of LaLiga’s president The sale of Barça Studios has not gone well for them,” he concluded highlighting the financial losses and insisting that fixing this situation should be the board’s number one priority Tebas also addressed Real Madrid’s “conspiracy theories.” He said “I’m starting to feel ashamed of what I have experienced as a Real Madrid fan.” it’s because they have triumphed against all the forces of good and evil; if they lose it’s because there is a conspiracy,” he joked Tebas also pointed out that Real Madrid did not participate in the club assembly where the future of refereeing was debated despite their constant complaints about the current system The LaLiga president stated that he has also filed a complaint against Real Madrid with the Competition Committee over certain unspecified statements regarding the alleged “manipulation” of the competition and they cause a lot of damage,” he concluded he rejected Florentino Pérez’s project and called it a “football oligarchy.” “In three years they have presented three different formats—this is not serious at all,” he said convinced that the proposed private league is unsustainable under current regulations © 2025 Grada3.com - Soccer © 2025 Grada3.com - Soccer Pedrerol serious and Angel Maria Villar laughing during the interview | Real Madrid Confidencial FIRST TEAM Pedrerol Pulls Angel Maria Villar's Tongue Over the Negreira Case: 'Do You Think...?'Pedrerol interviews Angel Maria Villar and he reveals things about the Negreira case10/12/2024 11:42:00h by Borja Díaz Josep Pedrerol has sat Ángel María Villar down in front of the microphone for his podcast One of the topics that seemed obvious to come up was the Negreira case and Barcelona's payments He was the president of the Federation when he was appointed vice-president of the CTA Villar seems to have been aware that this issue would come up and prepared a response after acknowledging his appointment he has no qualms about admitting that “I knew I was going to be asked this question before coming here.” Even so looking at the ground | Real Madrid ConfidencialAnd he starts by throwing out balls out as he seems to want to make it clear that the vice-president of referees had little power “Negreira had no responsibility in the referee  appointment nor in appointing international referees nor in proposing promotions and relegations” he said knowing that his words were somewhat credible He has clarified that these responsibilities were not “his exclusive responsibility.” So it does seem that Negreira had influence in the important decisions that were taken Ángel María Villar knows that his image is once again in question after everything he has been through in the Federation The fact that he was the one who appointed Negreira puts him in the spotlight That's why he maintains that “we found out afterwards that he was being paid by Barcelona Laporta speaking with his left hand raised | Real Madrid ConfidencialIn fact during the interview he reiterates that “I appointed him but without knowing that he was paid by FC Barcelona” Do you think that as president of the Federation I am going to appoint a vice-president of the referees when he is paid by Barcelona?” Although it seems that the former president of the Spanish Football Federation is not comfortable with the subject “As this is a matter that is in a criminal procedure why don’t we stop talking about it?” he suggests to Pedrerol Although the journalist ends up pulling his tongue Gil Manzano made Negreira remembered in the Spanish Super Cup Clásico. | Real Madrid Confidencial FIRST TEAM Same Play and Different Criteria: Manzano Made People Remember Negreira in the ClásicoGil Manzano indicated a penalty in a play that years ago went completely unpunished13/01/2025 16:20:00h by Sergio Iglesias One of the most highlighted elements in the Clásico of the Supercopa de España between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona was Gil Manzano. The referee from Extremadura didn't have one of his best performances and left both teams upset with some quite controversial actions.  It all started with Eduardo Camavinga's penalty on Gavi. The Frenchman committed a clear penalty, but the referee had to go to VAR because he didn't see anything at all. Additionally, several minutes later, he also forgave the second card for the French pivot.  Moment when Eduardo Camavinga fouls Gavi. | Real Madrid ConfidencialOn the other hand, Gil Manzano also needed help to send off Szczęsny, Barça's goalkeeper, for a clear foul on Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchman, who had already dribbled past the goalkeeper, was tripped, preventing his second goal in the game.  There's no more discussion. It's quite clear that Eduardo Camavinga's action on Gavi is a penalty. The Frenchman, who even seems to see the Barça player coming, hits his leg out of time against the Andalusian's body.  Gil Manzano sanctioned the action with a yellow card for the Real Madrid player, and the Frenchman barely protested. Minutes later, the ball was put into the net by Robert Lewandowski to score the second goal of the match. However, Madrid fans remember that the same play for which Camavinga was penalized wasn't called in the past. "As my good friend @VictorDebate reminded me, not every time a thigh is kicked is a penalty called from VAR...", commented Diego Montero. The message in question includes an image showing a tackle by Lenglet on Varane in a Clásico. That action wasn't punished in any way, and Real Madrid was disadvantaged. Despite everything, there's indeed a foul by Eduardo Camavinga on Gavi, so Gil Manzano is right to call the penalty. However, what angers Real Madrid is that everything ends up depending on the jersey you wear. If the foul is committed by the Frenchman, it's called, but if Lenglet does it on a Real Madrid player, it's overlooked. Despite everything, Real Madrid threw away the Supercopa de España final against FC Barcelona on a rather concerning day. Once again, all the shortcomings of a team that couldn't lift the Supercopa de España came to light. The Barcelona Court has ruled that the jury cannot investigate FC Barcelona on bribery charges in the 'Negreira' case The court states that the Spanish Football Federation is not a public entity and the vice president of the referees' team was not a public employee the court states that the club cannot be under investigation The court case can now continue as sports corruption as there were alleged payments of millions over decades from the club to the vice president of the Spanish referees' board The club celebrated the announcement as they will "continue to believe that via justice they will clarify all complaints filed against the team and show the innocence of the group," a short statement reads The letter submitted to the court accused Barça of having "reached and maintained a strictly confidential verbal agreement with the accused Negreira, so that, in his capacity as vice president of the CTA and in exchange for money, he would carry out actions tending to favor FCB in the decision-making of the referees in matches that the club played, and thus in the results of competitions."  The fact that the charges made are 'continuous,' as opposed to a one-off event, means that the potential penalties could be even larger.  One of the  most recognized and controversial refereeing analysts in the sports media of our country is Eduardo Iturralde González The former Spanish referee made a career in the First Division until 2012 as one of the most experienced and veteran referees of the CTA It is no wonder he has the honor of having officiated more than 1,000 matches during his extensive career as a referee both inside and outside of Spain's competitions he joined the sports team of Cadena SER to analyze and comment on refereeing controversies a task that has only renewed his antagonism with Madridist fans The  followers of the white team do not have good memories of Iturralde González as a referee.. Iturralde González was an active Spanish referee until 2012 | Real Madrid ConfidencialMeanwhile the referee makes it clear that he has nothing against the entity presided over by Florentino Pérez he has decided to mediate in the latest refereeing controversy in our country sparked by the words of Mateu Lahoz performing the same function on Cadena COPE established a curious relationship between the 'Negreira case' scandal and the international appointments achieved by Spanish referees "We have always been surprised that the referees who worked with Negreira's son were the ones most called by the Referees Committee to officiate in Europe" issued an official statement to defend itself against the accusations of the former Valencian referee.. urging him to "go to court as soon as possible to convey all that information and clarify the doubts he casts on our group" Iturralde González was quick to applaud this gesture by the entity presided over by Luis Medina Cantalejo In addition to calling Mateu Lahoz's words "unworthy" he makes it clear that he is "proud to belong to this family" Iturralde González has made it clear that Mateu Lahoz's achievements on the Old Continent are due to "the same ones" who now appoint Spanish referees for UEFA "It is very serious to say that those who are refereeing in Europe do so for other reasons which is why they urge him to go to court" in the official statement Antonio Mateu Lahoz was a Spanish referee active until 2023 | Real Madrid ConfidencialAt the same time Iturralde González makes it clear that "the statement falls short for me" making it clear that this matter "I think it calls for more than just a statement" Iturralde makes it clear that "the refereeing group needs all the mess of the Negreira case to be clarified once and for all for the verdict to come out and try to start from scratch" Eduardo Iturralde González points out that "now what we don't need are wars" like the one Mateu Lahoz would have started with his statements on COPE "I am not going to contribute to any war with my refereeing family and reading the statement today is one of the days I am proud" to be a referee The investigating judge in charge of examining the €7.3million Barcelona paid to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira has called the former referees’ chief to testify despite his defence team having raised concerns over his health Barcelona were charged with corruption in March 2023 over payments made to Enriquez Negreira the former vice-president of Spanish football’s refereeing committee in a case brought by the Spanish public prosecutor’s office The case relates to payments made between 2001 and 2018 Barcelona’s current president Joan Laporta as well as his predecessors Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu along with several other former club directors The only testimony given by Enriquez Negreira himself so far was to Spain’s tax authorities whose discovery of the payments led to public prosecutors taking up the wider case Enriquez Negreira told them Barcelona had paid him “to make sure no refereeing decisions were made against them had submitted a medical report through his lawyers stating he would not be in a position to declare in front of a court because he is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease he underwent an examination by a doctor from the Institute of Legal Medicine in Barcelona head of the investigating court number one of Barcelona has now said he will be summoned to testify on February 21 Enriquez Negreira and Barca have denied the payments he received constitute any wrongdoing Aguirre Lopez’s investigations are ongoing but the latest major development in the case came in September that reflected a change in strategy from the prosecutors’ side Aguirre Lopez said a “potential new offence of the crime of bribery” was now being considered — without dropping the original charges of possible corruption The initial corruption charges always required further evidence beyond the payments Barcelona made to Negreira — which are not in doubt This is what Aguirre Lopez’s investigation has been searching for; concrete proof that the money was paid directly in return for favourable treatment on the pitch Barca and the current and former club executives mentioned above have all denied that was the case If the case were to proceed in that direction any final sentence would be made by a jury after a trial Jury members would be picked randomly among the population registered with Barcelona’s city council as the case is being processed by a local court The heavy machinery of Real Madrid's propaganda is capable of distorting reality always in its favor Like when all media outlets close to Florentino Pérez claimed that Vinícius had won the Ballon d'Or the propaganda apparatus manages to generate the state of opinion that most favors its interests the Negreira Case reappears as a smokescreen that avoids self-criticism and diverts attention serves to exercise victimhood and make him the cause of the points lost by Real Madrid Mbappé embellishes his goal tally thanks to penalties | Getty ImagesNegreira Is to Blame for All of Real Madrid's DefeatsWhen it was the white team that was gaining points on Barça it was because Real Madrid was growing and Barça was unreliable A state of opinion has been created according to which the referees favor Barça and harm Real Madrid Even though the white team has been awarded 10 penalties in favor and 2 against (4-3 in Barça's case) Any controversial play by Real Madrid is interpreted Any controversial play by Barça is interpreted as a theft from the rival With Real Madrid TV acting as the vanguard it has been achieved that a lie repeated a thousand times becomes reality The distribution of penalties during Florentino Pérez's era confirms it In Florentino Pérez's first term at Real Madrid (2000-2006) Real Madrid was awarded 47 penalties in favor and Barça 39 In the second term (2009-2025) Real Madrid has been awarded 150 penalties in favor compared to 119 for Barça The final balance with Florentino at the helm of Real Madrid shows 39 more penalties in favor of Real Madrid than Barça (197 to 158) the victimhood sold by media outlets close to Florentino Pérez lacks a real basis But that won't stop them from continuing with the campaign There will always be useful pawns like Guti as in the penalty awarded to Real Madrid in Pamplona The former vice president of the refereeing committee in Spain, José María Enríquez Negreira, must testify as a defendant over payments his companies received from Barcelona after a judge dismissed his dementia claim Negreira's legal team alleged the 78-year-old's condition makes him incapable of being questioned He was pictured falling over as he arrived for a health check last year to determine if he was fit to be cross-examined - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) ruled on Thursday that while Negreira does suffer from some memory impairment he retains the mental faculties to appear in court and Negreira has subsequently been summoned to testify on Feb Barça paid Negreira's companies more than €7 million ($7.3m) between 2001 and 2018 while he was the vice president of the committee He had previously been a referee in the Spanish top flight Barcelona and a host of former presidents have been charged in connection with alleged bribery and corruption. Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty ImagesLast March, Negreira was among those charged with corruption relating to the payments as were the former club presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep María Bartomeu as well as former executives Oscar Grau and Albert Soler Bribery charges were added in September after the judge said Negreira "exercised public functions" as vice president of the committee In October, current Barça president Joan Laporta was also charged with bribery when the judge ruled his first spell in charge Laporta has insisted the money was for "technical reports about referees" and has repeatedly denied ever "buying referees or influence." prosecutors have accused Rosell and Bartomeu of having an agreement with Negreira in which "he would carry out actions aimed at favouring Barca in the decision-making of the referees in the matches played by the club and thus in the results of the competitions." Rosell was Barca president from 2010 to 2014 before Bartomeu replaced him After six years at the helm of the Catalan club with Laporta elected as his replacement in 2021 The “Negreira case” refers to payments made by the club to José María Enríquez Negreira Barcelona and Negreira both said the payments were legal But prosecutors and some sections of the media have alleged corruption and bribery prosecutors admit they do not have evidence of match-fixing And a court recently ruled that Barcelona cannot be charged with bribery there are still potential legal troubles ahead but they can still be prosecuted for corruption The Barcelona High Court has overturned the decision of the judge in the ‘Negreira case’ to charge FC Barcelona and the directors under investigation for the payments to the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) with bribery A report from Mundo Deportivo confirms that in an order the 21st section of the Barcelona Court of Appeal agrees with the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the defence and annuls the charge of bribery in the ‘Negreira case’ It should be recalled that the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office opposed investigating FC Barcelona for bribery for the payments to José María Enríquez Negreira concluding that the latter did not have the status of public official required for this type of offence Barça have maintained that the payments the club had made to Negreira were in exchange for technical reports on match officials and scout reports on players Club president Joan Laporta even came out and presented proof in the form of documentation of the reports that the Catalans had received from Negreira It was seven months ago that judge Joaquín Aguirre issued an order in which he maintained that Barcelona’s payments to Negreira However, the Blaugrana had immediately appealed against the accusation and now they have been cleared of the bribery charges After the emergence of the verdict from the court FC Barcelona have issued a statement expressing their satisfaction at the outcome “FCB is satisfied with today’s ruling by the Barcelona High Court insofar as it confirms the approach defended by the Club and rules out the hypothesis of the alleged crime of bribery “We maintain our conviction that through the courts we will be able to definitively clarify the facts that are the subject of the complaint and prove the Club’s absolute innocence,” says the Barça statement Barcelona have been charged with corruption over payments they made to the vice-president of Spanish football’s refereeing committee is also facing charges of corruption in a case brought by the Spanish public prosecutor’s office Enriquez Negreira has denied ever favouring Barcelona in terms of refereeing decisions Barca have explained they hired an “external consultant” who provided reports “related to professional refereeing” and also deny any wrongdoing Bartomeu and Rosell — have been approached for comment by The Athletic News emerged in mid-February that prosecutors were investigating payments made by Barca to DASNIL 95 They began their investigation in May 2022 when tax inspectors alerted them to alleged irregularities in DASNIL’s financial records prosecutors put a figure on the total value of these payments: over €7.3million (£6.4m; $7.8m) was paid by Barca to DASNIL and a second company owned by Enriquez Negreira have now been charged with the crime of ‘continued corruption in business’ The Spanish law relating to this crime was established in 2010 it has included a specific section targeting corruption in sport when it is suspected an attempt has been made to “pre-determine or alter in a deliberate and fraudulent manner the result of a match or competition” ‘Continued’ corruption means the crime is believed to have taken place over a sustained period rather than being a one-off This means the potential punishments are bigger and can include up to four years in prison for individuals or professional disqualification and fines for groups or enterprises In documents presented to a Barcelona court on Friday prosecutors said: “FC Barcelona reached and maintained a strictly confidential verbal agreement with Enriquez Negreira so that in his capacity as vice-president of the CTA (Spanish football’s referee’s committee) and in exchange for money he would carry out actions tending to favour Barcelona in the decision making of referees in the matches played by the club.” Prosecutors have also charged parties in this case with false administration and falsifying a commercial document with two former officials from Bartomeu’s time as Barca president also charged: Oscar Grau and Albert Soler Grau and Soler have also been approached for comment by The Athletic The Barcelona-Negreira scandal is only deepening — here's what you need to know In terms of other sporting punishments, La Liga has already said it cannot investigate because the case relates to events that took place more than three years ago “It’s not possible for there to be any sportive punishment from our side,” La Liga president Javier Tebas said when news of the scandal broke in February “It’s been five years since those payments stopped and these kinds of breaches are time-barred in our rulebook three years after taking place.” Both the Spanish FA and Spain’s High Council for Sports have previously told The Athletic they will respect the legal process before considering any action of their own UEFA told The Athletic it has no comment to make European football’s governing body would have the power to bring sporting sanctions as any offence would not be time-barred under its rules Barca have said they have launched their own investigation in which they have involved their compliance department and also an external law firm There still remains much doubt over the exact nature of the services Enriquez Negreira provided to Barca Speaking to the regional Catalonia branch of Cadena Ser the media outlet that first broke the news of the scandal in mid-February Enriquez Negreira said no documentation of his work existed because it was always conducted verbally He said such work included giving advice on how players should behave with different referees claimed to have only dealt with Enriquez Negreira’s son He claimed not to have been aware that Enriquez Negreira himself was “involved in the company” until later on He said it was Negreira’s son who supplied the “technical reports” on refereeing Barca paid for and that he “completed them with great professionalism” Negreira’s son has said the reports he was paid for have been provided to prosecutors Bartomeu also said payments were stopped in 2018 “to reduce our expenses” adding: “The sports department of the club notified me we would part ways with this company and start assuming this job internally.” the current Athletic Bilbao manager who was in charge at Barca from 2017 to 2020 said he “did not have a clue” about the work DASNIL was paid for who wished to remain anonymous when speaking to The Athletic said the former Barca boss (2008-2012) did not know anything about reports provided by Enriquez Negreira or his son Perhaps the most illuminating comment to have emerged so far is the testimony given by Enriquez Negreira himself to Spain’s tax authorities in which he said Barcelona had paid him “to make sure no refereeing decisions were made against them Links between football clubs and referees are not uncommon in Spain. Carlos Megia Davila, a referee with 219 La Liga games under his belt, has worked, entirely legitimately, for Real Madrid’s Institutional Relations department since retiring in 2009 Manuel Mejuto Gonzalez, who refereed 262 games in the Spanish top flight, is now part of Getafe’s first-team structure ⚠️ La Fiscalia considera que l’acord verbal al qual va arribar el Barça amb Enríquez Negreira tenia com a finalitat que Negreira “realizase actuaciones tendentes a favorecer al FCB en la toma de decisiones de los árbitros” aprofitant-se de la seva posició al CTA pic.twitter.com/R7XzcUPznf — Què T’hi Jugues (@QueThiJugues) March 10, 2023 But Enriquez Negreira’s relationship with Barca is the only case where payments were made by a club to an individual still working for the Spanish FA and in a position of real influence current Barca president Joan Laporta said: “We plan to do a press conference in the future to speak about the case we want to make clear Barcelona has not bought off referees and it has never been the intention Last week, a separate, individual criminal complaint was filed against Enriquez Negreira and his son by Spanish VAR official Javier Estrada Fernandez. This meant the public prosecutors were forced to close their case and reach a decision on whether or not to bring charges Estrada Fernandez’s complaint caused some unrest among the Spanish referees’ group They were expecting a unified and organised action over the whole investigation and this new complaint has been seen as an individual move without the consent of the rest of the officials made his debut as a referee in Spain’s top flight in the 1979-80 season He became vice-president of the Spanish FA’s technical committee of referees (CTA) in 1994 Prosecutors on Friday described the CTA as overseeing “the designation of referees for each match of official Spanish competitions” They said Enriquez Negreira would have been involved in “evaluations” leading to the “promotion and demotion of referees as well as the proposal of candidates for international referees” Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez was a Spanish top-flight referee for 17 years before retiring and his time coincided with Enriquez Negreira’s position as vice president of the referees’ committee In February he told The Athletic: “From my personal experience Negreira was not a person who had a bond with the match officials I only met him at the camps the FA set up for referees throughout the season they set up a big congregation before the season then once every three months to assess our performances but at most you would see him when you crossed paths in the hotel corridor He was not at all involved in the daily issues of our professional life The referee’s committee has always followed a pretty presidential model: there was one main chief who surrounded himself with his closest circle “The only thing we want now is to have some light cast over this dark case All the referees want to clear everything up and expect a broader investigation From the 20 La Liga referees from my generation (Top photo: Marc Graupera Aloma/Europa Press via Getty Images) The Athletic’s Spanish football coverage has expanded… Barcelona are closing on a first La Liga title since 2019 but off the pitch the Negreira case looms over the club They have been charged with corruption concerning payments made to the former vice-president of Spanish football’s refereeing committee and his son who held the above role between 1994 and 2018 Enriquez Negreira has denied ever favouring Barcelona in terms of refereeing decisions The Catalan club have admitted hiring an “external consultant” who provided reports “related to professional refereeing” but they and the individuals involved all deny any wrongdoing Last week, European football’s governing body UEFA announced it would also be investigating the club, with ethics and disciplinary inspectors appointed to look into the matter The latest twist involves the leaking of hundreds of pages of information related to the case ranging from bank statements to court papers and documents from the tax authorities The Athletic has seen a large number of these leaked documents and they reveal important details about the situation… were charged with corruption over payments they made to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira The investigation conducted by the Spanish prosecutor’s office also included charges against the club for malfeasance and false documentation as are former Barcelona presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu Prosecutors started this investigation after Spain’s tax authorities noticed several tax irregularities concerning DASNIL 95 they realised DASNIL 95 was only working for Barcelona and forwarded the case to the prosecutor’s office The broader investigation confirmed payments from Barcelona to Enriquez Negreira’s companies between 2001 and 2018 worth €7.3million (£6.4m The Spanish law relating to the crime of “continued corruption” was established in 2010 it has included a specific section targeting corruption in sport The prosecutor’s investigation only includes payment records dating back to 2014 as before that the activities weren’t typified as a crime in Spanish law Prosecutors have also charged parties in this case with false administration and falsifying a commercial document — two former club officials from Bartomeu’s time as president: Oscar Grau and Albert Soler Grau and Soler — have previously been approached for comment by The Athletic La Liga president Javier Tebas has confirmed the body won’t be applying disciplinary sanctions to Barcelona as “it’s been five years since the end of their payments to DASNIL and these types of sanctions expire three years after the events have taken place according to our rules” have previously told The Athletic they will respect the legal process before considering any action of their own But the club remain under investigation by the Spanish prosecutor’s office and also UEFA who would have the power to bring sporting sanctions as any offence would not be time-barred under its rules That was when the tax authorities sent their report to the prosecutor’s office informing them they had found indications of potential criminal activity during their investigation of DASNIL 95 One of the documents from the tax authorities includes the only statement — that we know of — from Enriquez Negreira in the whole case he presented a medical document stating he is suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer’s and therefore not in a fit state to make any further comments There is plenty to be gleaned from Enriquez Negreira’s statement to the tax authorities his declaration that his points of contact at Barcelona during the period being investigated were the club’s presidents This jars with what Bartomeu later told prosecutors He stated he did not deal personally with Enriquez Negreira and only knew him from being a referee in the past and from reading his name in the media Bartomeu claimed he only dealt with Enriquez Negreira’s son Enriquez Negreira revealed the most relevant tasks he was carrying out for Barcelona There was no evidence of how he and his son were spending the money they received from Barcelona “We haven’t found any third party to which money had been destined to go,” the report states referring to Barcelona potentially paying referees or altering the result of a game “There is no clear evidence on other crimes” other than the tax wrongdoings investigated they stated the lack of evidence on where the money was going “could be indications of illegal behaviours” and that is why they passed the file on to the prosecutor’s office The tax authorities’ report left it up to the prosecutors to make any firm conclusions Then we move to the full report from the prosecutors which was signed and filed on March 10 this year a record of 59 payments from Barcelona to Enriquez Negreira’s companies Fifty-four of the 59 payments were for “counselling on technical videos” The others — which happen to be the five largest payments ranging between €84,000 and €120,000 — are labelled as “recording and viewing of international games” 2018 World Cup and Spanish clubs’ games in UEFA competitions Neither Barcelona nor Enriquez Negreira could provide documents evidencing the former referee’s work for the club collected more than 500 reports by his son on referees’ performances in Barcelona games criticised Javier Enriquez for providing Barcelona with those files when he had never been a referee himself “What can he know about referees if he has never refereed once in his life?,” Iturralde Gonzalez told Spanish radio station Cadena SER “It’s like if I start reporting about tennis but at the end of the day I won’t have a clue about how it is from the inside.” Prosecutors also confirmed that from 2016-19 Enriquez Negreira withdrew €550,000 from his companies in cash “There is a record of card payments with money from the company for significant amounts — enough to cover their personal costs of living The sum of cash taken out mentioned was not particularly needed,” the report states Enriquez Negreira did not personally withdraw any of that money from banks he always sent two company employees to do it The final destination of that money could not be traced Enriquez Negreira and his son Javier all declined to comment on any of the details in the leaked documents La Liga president Tebas confirmed his body is unable to apply disciplinary sanctions against Barcelona “It’s not possible for there to be any sporting punishment from our side,” Tebas said when news of the scandal broke in February The legal process against the Catalan club and those other parties involved is ongoing but in the leaked documents seen by The Athletic the prosecution and the tax authorities have not found clear evidence of corruption There is no record or suggestion in those papers of payments to active referees or match-fixing European football’s governing body opened its disciplinary investigation into Barcelona and assigned two investigators to oversee the Negreira case it will decide whether to take any further steps UEFA disciplinary regulations state the measures which can be imposed on clubs range from “a warning reprimand and fine to disqualification from competitions in progress and/or exclusion from future competitions and withdrawal of a title or an award” with an outcome expected before the start of next season they would have the option of appealing the decision to the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport the whole legal process is expected to take years to complete given the magnitude of the investigation and the amount of documentation collected from all sides The main public statements from Barcelona have come through their social media channels with club president Joan Laporta sending a message to their members Laporta has expressed his belief that this is a “campaign” orchestrated against Barcelona “The campaign we are suffering from is not by chance why and how they are orchestrating this campaign Have no doubt that we will defend ourselves; and not only that Reports in the Catalan media this week revealed that Laporta will send a letter to all socios that will address the situation will reiterate that Barcelona are innocent of what they’ve been accused of and plans to explain the steps the club will take to defend themselves Club sources confirmed to The Athletic they are planning a press conference where Laporta will take questions about the Negreira case but mid-April is the timeframe the club is aiming for at this point Barcelona president Joan Laporta has been exonerated in court regarding the Negreira referee scandal The start of 2023 saw Barcelona fall in the middle of the controversial Negreira scandal which claimed that the club had bribed the former vice-president of the Referee’s Committee Barcelona have been involved in a constant legal battle with the authorities in their attempt to prove their innocence in the case Joan Laporta has found himself as the central focus of this legal battle as some of those allegations were mired during his first term of presidency However, in a major win for Barcelona, the 21st section of the Barcelona Court of Appeal has recently ruled in favour of the club and its president Joan Laporta, reports Mundo Deportivo The ruling exonerates Laporta and associates from the criminal charges linked to the Negreira case This decision overturns the previous ruling by the Barcelona Investigating Court No which had implicated Laporta and other board members from the 2003-2010 period in the alleged payments made to Enriquez Negreira The Court’s decision hinges on the fact that Enriquez Negreira cannot be considered a public official the Court’s ruling has been welcomed by FC Barcelona who have made significant ground and have won multiple legal battles linked to the Negreira case in the recent past it won’t be surprising to see the Negreira case go under a blanket as authorities and investigations have found very little evidence with a different outcome for Sandro Rosell His appeal against the lower court’s decision to keep him as an investigated party was rejected remains implicated alongside Josep Maria Bartomeu (2014-2020 president) and Albert Soler (director of professional sports from 2015-2021) Barcelona have labelled Sevilla’s decision to refuse to sit in the directors’ box and shun a pre-match meal as an “unjustified attack.” Sevilla confirmed in a club statement earlier this evening that they “reject the behaviour of Barcelona during the period” for which the club are currently being investigated regarding payments totalling €7.3million (£6.4m; $7.8m) being made to a former referees chief Barcelona have since responded via a club statement where they “totally rejected” Sevilla’s decision describing it as an “unacceptable offense.” A club statement read: “Barcelona want to express their total rejection to an unjustified attack a club that today have refused to join the institutional lunch prior to tonight’s game Their club representatives have also refused to attend the Directors Box “Barcelona understands this as an attack on the Catalan institution and an unacceptable offense “The named Negreira case can’t be an excuse to justify those measures as the court procedure is still at very early stages and Sevilla’s position presumes accusations that by any means and at any of the alleged charges “breach of trust” and “false business records” in March a document published by the Barcelona court dealing with the case said a further charge of “bribery” would now be attributed to all those investigated Barcelona could return to the summit of La Liga with a victory over Jose Luis Medilibar’s side Barcelona facing fresh suspected bribery charge in Negreira case