Negreira case: Florentino Pérez accuses Barça of corruption | OneFootball

Corruption? Florentino Pérez takes aim at Barça

Negreira case: Florentino Pérez accuses Barça of corruption

Florentino Pérez has reignited tensions surrounding the Negreira case with a statement that is already making waves in Spain. Asked about revelations concerning FC Barcelona's payments to José María Enríquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the referees' technical committee, the Real Madrid president did not hold back:

This weighty statement breathes new life into an already explosive affair, closely monitored by the Spanish justice system. To recap, FC Barcelona allegedly paid more than €7.3 million between 2001 and 2018 to companies owned by Negreira. The club maintains these were merely "technical reports" intended for referee analysis, while prosecutors suspect a possible attempt to influence competitions.

These payments, which stopped as soon as Negreira left in 2018, are now at the heart of an ongoing investigation for active and passive corruption. Barça continues to strongly deny any attempt to manipulate matches, but Florentino Pérez’s comments serve as a reminder that this saga is far from over, and it continues to fuel the fierce sporting and institutional rivalry between Madrid and Barcelona.