UEFA has reopened its investigation into Barcelona’s Negreira case after Real Madrid submitted 50,000 pages of documents and thousands of files, statements and other evidence, according to Diario AS.
Real Madrid’s submission is intended to prompt a formal UEFA investigation into the payments made by Barcelona to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, who was vice-president of the Spanish Football Federation’s Technical Committee of Referees.
Spanish sports authorities concluded that the case was beyond the statute of limitations. UEFA, however, considers the matter valid under its own rules and has decided to pursue it. The case has already caused significant concern at UEFA headquarters in Nyon.
The European governing body is seeking to establish what happened between 2001 and 2018, when Barcelona paid €8.4m to Negreira. Investigators will examine the purpose of the payments, what Barcelona intended to obtain and whether the money, recorded as payment for “reports”, had any actual influence.
The case became public in April 2023. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin then described it as one of the most serious incidents he had seen in football.
“For two reasons, I cannot comment on this directly. First, because we have an independent disciplinary committee dealing with this. Second, because I have not looked into the details of this case. However, I can state this: I have been briefed on the situation, and it is extremely serious. This is one of the gravest things I have ever seen in football,” Ceferin said.
“At the LaLiga level, the case has certainly passed the statute of limitations and will not result in sporting sanctions, but the Spanish civil prosecutor’s investigation remains ongoing. However, as far as UEFA is concerned, nothing is beyond the statute of limitations.”
UEFA had spent the past three and a half years awaiting the outcome of judicial proceedings. Real Madrid’s documents have now altered the situation, with the material being examined by the investigator appointed to the case.
The investigation will involve a detailed assessment of the evidence and the collection of information directly from those involved, including their statements. Barcelona will also be given the opportunity to present its defence.
Real Madrid has asked UEFA to remove all titles won by Barcelona during the period in which the payments were made. Article 4 of the UEFA Statutes allows the organisation to exclude a club from its competitions at any time if it concludes that the club attempted to influence the normal course of a match.
The case has been compared with the Premier League’s continuing sanctions process involving Manchester City over conduct between 2009 and 2018, which could lead to relegation. UEFA previously imposed a two-season ban from European competitions on Manchester City, although the Court of Arbitration for Sport later ruled in the club’s favour.
UEFA said: “UEFA confirms that it has received a substantial volume of documents submitted by Real Madrid Club de Futbol relating to the ongoing investigation into FC Barcelona involving Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, former Vice President of the Spanish Football Federation’s Technical Committee of Referees (the so-called ‘Negreira case’).
“These documents have also been received by the UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors, who will assess them in their continuing review of the case.”
