Barcelona have rejected reports that UEFA has reopened its investigation into the Negreira case, saying the proceedings launched in 2023 have never been closed and that the club has received no new request or complaint from European football’s governing body.
The club said two UEFA investigators were appointed when the procedure began and had continued to carry out the actions they considered necessary. Barcelona added that it had cooperated with every request made during the process.
UEFA recently confirmed it had received documents submitted by Barcelona in connection with the case, which concerns Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees of the Royal Spanish Football Federation.
However, Barcelona said UEFA’s announcement only acknowledged receipt of the material and did not announce the opening, reopening or reactivation of proceedings. The club also noted that the statement referred twice to an investigation and review that were “ongoing”.
The documents will be assessed by UEFA’s Ethics and Disciplinary Investigators, who will decide whether any further action is appropriate.
Barcelona said the investigators had not made any additional requests to the club and had not forwarded its complaint to them. The club said it would respond when required, as it had done throughout the investigation.
The Spanish club also stated that the UEFA procedure remained subject to the outcome of the ongoing criminal proceedings in Spain, in accordance with the relevant legislation.
Since the investigation started, Barcelona said it had obtained UEFA licences without difficulty and continued to compete in UEFA competitions.
Barcelona’s statement included the full wording of UEFA’s original announcement:
“UEFA confirms that it has received a large number of documents submitted by Barcelona, which relate to the ongoing investigation into Barcelona, concerning matters related to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, former Vice-President of the Technical Committee of Referees of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (the so-called ‘Negreira case’).
“UEFA’s Ethics and Disciplinary Investigators have also received these latest documents, which they will evaluate in the ongoing review.”
The Negreira case centres on payments made by Barcelona to companies linked to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. The club did not provide further comment on the substance of the documents submitted to UEFA.
Barcelona concluded by reiterating its “full cooperation” with the competent authorities and called for reporting about the procedure to remain rigorous and accurate.
