Real Madrid submits dossier to UEFA regarding Barcelona referee payments case

Real Madrid has submitted a substantial dossier of evidence to UEFA concerning payments made by FC Barcelona to the former vice-president of Spain's refereeing committee, José María Enríquez Negreira. European football’s governing body confirmed it has received the documents and stated that its ethics and disciplinary inspectors will assess the materials as part of an ongoing review.

Key details

• •According to the BBC, the dossier submitted by Real Madrid is reported to exceed 50,000 pages and claims to contain evidence affecting the integrity of football competitions.
• •The investigation centers on allegations that Barcelona paid 8.4 million euros (£7.2 million) to Negreira between 2001 and 2018, an act Barcelona maintains was for legitimate scouting and technical reports.
• •Real Madrid issued a statement urging UEFA to accelerate the investigation and reach a conclusion, while Barcelona noted that UEFA has not opened new proceedings or forwarded the specific complaint to them.
• •Barcelona clarified that current proceedings remain ongoing since 2023 and emphasized that they have complied with all previous requests from investigators, as reported by the BBC.

Background

The controversy emerged in 2023 amid allegations that payments to Negreira were used to bribe referees. While a Spanish court is conducting its own criminal investigation, UEFA previously appointed investigators to examine the matter, ultimately deciding in June 2023 that Barcelona would not face punishment at that time.

Why it matters

The outcome depends on the assessment by UEFA’s ethics and disciplinary inspectors, who are currently reviewing the new documentation. Barcelona stated that the file remains subject to the results of the ongoing criminal proceedings in Spain, and they await potential future requests from investigators.