UEFA has confirmed that it received a large volume of documents submitted by Real Madrid concerning the ongoing investigation into Barcelona over payments made to companies linked to former Spanish refereeing official José María Enríquez Negreira.
The European football governing body said on Thursday that its ethics and disciplinary inspectors had obtained the documents and would examine them as part of their ongoing review of the case.
The development represents a fresh step in the long-running Negreira case, which has become one of the most controversial issues surrounding Spanish football in recent years.
At the centre of the case are payments made by Barcelona to Negreira, who served as vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) of the Spanish Football Federation.
According to the investigation file, companies linked to Negreira received more than €7.5 million from Barcelona between 2001 and 2018 for reports and other technical services relating to refereeing.
Barcelona have denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that the payments were for legitimate consultancy work, including technical reports and advice on referees. Investigators have also not established that Negreira paid referees to manipulate the outcome of Barcelona matches.
UEFA first opened an investigation into the matter in March 2023, appointing ethics and disciplinary inspectors to examine whether Barcelona may have breached the governing body’s regulations.
Real Madrid have since taken an active interest in the European dimension of the case.
In June, the Madrid club announced that it had submitted a letter to UEFA’s disciplinary bodies asking the organisation to resume disciplinary proceedings it had previously initiated against Barcelona.
Real Madrid said at the time that it had presented evidence which, in its view, strengthened concerns surrounding Barcelona’s payments to Negreira and argued that the matter posed a serious threat to the integrity of football competitions.
The club has continued to push for the case to receive attention at European level, particularly amid what it considers limited progress in Spain.
According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Real Madrid have spent recent months working to place the matter firmly on UEFA’s agenda while also rebuilding its relationship with European football’s governing institutions and the European Club Association.
UEFA’s latest statement confirms that the documents submitted by Real Madrid are now among the materials available to its competent bodies for review.
However, the European governing body did not announce that it had opened new formal disciplinary proceedings against Barcelona.
The latest development therefore does not amount to a finding of wrongdoing against Barcelona. Rather, it means UEFA’s investigators have received additional material concerning a case that has already been under scrutiny.
The Negreira case has attracted significant attention because of Negreira’s former position within the Spanish refereeing structure and the length and value of the payments made to companies linked to him.
The Spanish authorities have also investigated the matter, while Barcelona have consistently rejected allegations that the payments were intended to influence refereeing decisions or sporting results.
With UEFA now examining the documents submitted by Real Madrid, the European dimension of the Negreira case remains open, with any further action depending on the findings of the governing body’s ethics and disciplinary authorities.