Negreira case explained as Real Madrid dossier revives scrutiny of Barcelona | OneFootball

The Negreira case dogging Barcelona has flared again, with UEFA confirming receipt of a Real Madrid dossier for an ongoing review.

On 15 February 2023 it emerged authorities were examining Barcelona’s payments to José Maria Enriquez Negreira, former vice-president of the referees’ committee. A 2022 audit of his firm Dasnil 95 triggered the probe, which found seven point three million euros paid from 2001 to 2018 to companies linked to him.

Barcelona, charged as a legal entity, says the money covered consultancy and refereeing reports, adding it supplied 629 reports as evidence. Former presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu also face charges, while Joan Gaspart and Joan Laporta are not prosecuted due to limitation periods.

Judge Alejandra Gil is nearing the end of the inquiry, and a trial could follow in 2027, potentially without Negreira due to Alzheimer’s disease. If tried and convicted, officials could face up to four years in prison.

Domestic sporting sanctions are ruled out by limitation periods. UEFA could still punish teams found to have sought to influence results and will await the Spanish outcome. After the latest submission, Real Madrid filed a complaint urging speed, while Barcelona replied there is no new UEFA procedure and none had been requested or passed on.

Source: L'Équipe

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