Real Madrid believe UEFA now has enough evidence to impose a European punishment on Barcelona in the Negreira case, potentially including a one-season exclusion from the Champions League.
Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, citing informed sources, reports that Real Madrid view UEFA’s confirmation of the Negreira file as more than a routine decision to add documents to an investigation that has been open since 2023.
The Madrid club believes a report submitted on 17 June, running to more than 50,000 pages, may be the crucial missing element that had prevented UEFA from taking action during the past two years. In its view, the document means European football’s governing body now has all the information needed to sanction Barcelona.
That, the sources say, also explains why the case had previously remained suspended.
UEFA investigation remains open
UEFA is not planning to close its disciplinary investigation until a final judgment is delivered in the ongoing court case in Spain, according to the report.
However, the European disciplinary process is considered entirely separate from the Spanish judicial proceedings. Real Madrid believe the available evidence is sufficient for UEFA to apply its regulations, which state that a club can be punished for becoming directly or indirectly involved in activity intended to manipulate, or influence, the outcome of a match at national or international level.
Under UEFA’s regulations, the possible punishment could include a one-season ban from the Champions League, as well as a substantial financial penalty.
Real Madrid also believe the issue goes beyond possible match manipulation. The club considers Barcelona’s alleged decision to pay the vice-president of the Spanish referees’ committee over a continuous period of 15 years to be, in itself, a serious breach of UEFA’s ethical rules.
The Spanish club is also stressing what it considers to be a central legal distinction: sporting disciplinary sanctions are separate from criminal proceedings and do not depend on them.
A person may be convicted in a criminal court without facing sporting disciplinary consequences, while the reverse is also possible. A criminal case could be dismissed because the evidence does not meet the required criminal standard, while sufficient and compelling grounds could still exist for disciplinary action within sport.
The two processes, therefore, do not cancel each other out, according to Real Madrid’s position.
Real Madrid seeks immediate action
The Spanish legal proceedings are still continuing, and Real Madrid has formally joined the case as a private prosecutor.
While awaiting the outcome of those proceedings, the club is calling for immediate disciplinary action against Barcelona by UEFA. Real Madrid remain convinced that the report containing more than 50,000 pages provides strong grounds for such a measure.
