Barcelona’s €8.4m Negreira case still hangs over el clasico
A dispute that refuses to fade
As Barcelona and Real Madrid prepare for another high profile encounter, the long running Negreira investigation remains a point of friction between Spain’s two biggest clubs. The case centers on why Barcelona paid millions of euros over nearly two decades to companies linked to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, a former vice president of Spain’s referees committee.
According to The Athletic, the ongoing court inquiry has not produced definitive answers about what services were provided or whether the payments were intended to influence sporting outcomes. That uncertainty has allowed the issue to persist as a political and cultural flashpoint in Spanish football.
December testimony and renewed tension
The debate intensified late last year when several prominent figures were called to testify. According to The Athletic, Barcelona president Joan Laporta, along with former head coaches Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde, gave evidence in December as part of the investigation.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez also weighed in publicly before Christmas, framing the controversy as a broader crisis in Spanish officiating. Speaking at a media event, Perez said that the Negreira affair underlined the need for structural reform in how refereeing is managed in Spain, according to The Athletic.
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Laporta’s response and public fallout
Laporta has consistently rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing. Spanish media reports cited by The Athletic describe leaked testimony in which he said Barcelona never acted to manipulate competition results and portrayed the investigation as an orchestrated campaign against the club.
The dispute escalated further after Real Madrid’s club television channel aired a video questioning Laporta’s statements. Responding at Barcelona’s Christmas dinner, Laporta accused unnamed critics of abusing power and spreading falsehoods, language that reflected how personal and bitter the conflict has become.
He later acknowledged publicly that relations between the two clubs were severely damaged, while still suggesting that reconciliation was theoretically possible, according to The Athletic.
How the case first emerged
The affair became public in February 2023, when Catalan radio program Que t’hi jugues! revealed that Barcelona had made payments to a company owned by Negreira. According to The Athletic, the information surfaced during a tax investigation and eventually exposed a broader pattern of payments totaling €8.4 million between 2001 and 2018.
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During that period, Negreira held a senior role within the Spanish football federation’s refereeing structure, a fact that later drew scrutiny from prosecutors and football authorities.
Key moments in the legal process
Spanish prosecutors indicted Barcelona and several individuals in March 2023 on charges including sporting corruption, breach of trust, and false business records. All defendants have denied wrongdoing, according to The Athletic.
Negreira himself declined to answer questions during a court appearance in March 2024, with his legal team stating that he suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. A subsequent ruling by a Barcelona provincial court removed bribery charges, effectively ending the investigation into Barcelona’s current leadership.
Other strands of the case remain active. Prosecutors have examined the role of Negreira’s son, Javier Enriquez Romero, and charged Negreira’s partner Ana Paula Rufas with money laundering, allegations they both deny, according to The Athletic.
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The legal hurdle at the heart of the case
Legal experts following the proceedings say the central difficulty lies in proving intent. According to The Athletic, a conviction for sporting corruption under Spanish law requires evidence that payments were made specifically to influence match results.
Former referee Xavier Estrada Fernandez, who has joined the case as an injured party, argues that payments to a senior refereeing official should in themselves constitute a crime.
By contrast, Catalan lawyer Victor Ballbe Sanfeliz told The Athletic that suspicious or opaque payments alone are not enough. He said prosecutors must demonstrate a deliberate scheme designed to manipulate competition outcomes.
Why the outcome still matters
The current investigative phase is scheduled to conclude on March 1, after which the presiding judge will decide whether the case should proceed to a full criminal trial. Appeals are expected regardless of the decision, according to The Athletic.
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While football authorities have criticized the idea of secret payments involving refereeing officials, no sporting sanctions have been imposed. La Liga president Javier Tebas has previously said the alleged conduct falls outside the competition’s disciplinary time limits, leaving the matter in criminal court.
Current referees committee president Fran Soto has called for a swift resolution, saying the prolonged uncertainty damages confidence in officiating even though no active referees are under investigation.
For now, the Negreira case remains unresolved, continuing to fuel mistrust, rivalry, and institutional strain every time Barcelona and Real Madrid cross paths.
Sources: The Athletic, Cadena SER Catalunya, La Cope
