Real Madrid files complaint with UEFA over Negreira affair involving Barcelona

Real Madrid has officially filed a complaint with UEFA in the Negreira affair, submitting to the European body a documentary file it describes as exhaustive on facts “of exceptional gravity”. UEFA confirmed receipt of these documents, specifying that its Ethics and Disciplinary inspectors will evaluate them as part of their ongoing examination.

The affair concerns payments totalling €7.4 million made by FC Barcelona between 2001 and 2018 to companies linked to José María Enríquez Negreira, then vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) of the Royal Spanish Football Federation. Barcelona has consistently maintained that it hired Negreira for technical reports on refereeing; Real Madrid, however, suspects influence peddling that may have compromised the integrity of competitions.

The Madrid club’s move comes after Spanish courts did not sanction the Catalan club, prompting Real to bring the matter before UEFA. In its statement, the merengue club asserts that “the competent authorities [must] take appropriate decisions based on the gravity of verified facts” and announces its intention to “actively collaborate” with UEFA until the investigation is fully concluded.

UEFA, for its part, merely confirmed receipt of the documents without commenting on their content or the procedure’s timeline. The outcome of this examination could have significant repercussions on FC Barcelona’s reputation and, more broadly, on the governance of refereeing in Spain over nearly two decades.