Judge rejects Real Madrid’s six-month extension request in Barcelona Negreira case | OneFootball

The investigation into Barcelona’s payments to former Technical Committee of Referees vice-president Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira has taken another turn after the judge overseeing the case rejected Real Madrid’s request for a further six-month extension.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the request, which was also supported by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, has been dismissed by the judge at Barcelona’s Investigating Court No. 1.

The outlet mentions that the preliminary investigation was due to expire on September 1, but the case has not been formally closed. 

This is because two witness testimonies are still scheduled for November, meaning the judicial process will continue despite the refusal to extend the investigation period.

Those witnesses are former Barcelona player and reserve-team coach Gerard Lopez and the club’s former reserve-team delegate, Antonio A.

The ruling indicates that the judge does not consider the scheduled November hearings sufficient reason to extend the preliminary investigation.

Why Negreira investigation will not be extended

Notably, the case centres on the €7.3 million Barcelona paid between 2001 and 2018 to Negreira and his son, Javier Enriquez.

Real Madrid had asked the court to prolong the investigation by another six months, arguing that the work carried out during the preliminary phase justified keeping the proceedings open.

However, the judge disagreed.

Real Madrid are going all-out in the Negreira case. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

According to the ruling, the two November witness hearings had already been scheduled before the previous extension expired. 

As a result, the court does not believe the investigation needs to be extended simply to accommodate those testimonies.

She reasons that, even if the Provincial Court ultimately sides with Real Madrid, the investigative proceedings would not automatically become invalid simply because they were carried out after the preliminary investigation period had expired.

Real Madrid argued there was sufficient evidence

Real Madrid’s request for another extension was not based on the desire to keep the Negreira case open.

On July 14, the club argued that the Civil Guard’s investigation had produced substantial findings during the preliminary phase.

Real Madrid described the evidence as “more than sufficient direct and circumstantial evidence of the commission of a continuing offence of corruption in sport.”

Real Madrid’s six-month extension request has been rejected by the judge. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The club therefore believed another six months were necessary to allow the investigation to continue and further proceedings to take place.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office supported that request, but the judge ultimately rejected it.

The legal process is not over yet

Notably, that does not mean the allegations have been resolved. 

While the rejection is certainly a setback for Real Madrid’s attempt to extend the preliminary investigation, it would be inaccurate to describe the Negreira case as finished.

The November witness hearings involving Gerard Lopez and Antonio A. remain pending, while the Barcelona Provincial Court still has to make a decision regarding investigative proceedings requested by Real Madrid.

The judge’s ruling simply establishes that those developments do not require the preliminary investigation itself to be extended beyond its existing deadline.