Negreira case: Ex-Barcelona president refuses financial documents access to Real Madrid | OneFootball

The Negreira allegations have continued to dominate the discourse within Spanish football lately, especially in the wake of renewed tensions between two of Spain’s biggest clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The topic escalated earlier this month when Real Madrid requested access to Barcelona’s audits and invoices from 2010 to 2018.

Reports had further suggested that Los Blancos are considering seeking multi-million compensation from Barcelona surrounding the Negreira case.

Bartomeu denies Real Madrid request

But in a major development, it appears former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has formally refused to comply with Real Madrid’s request to hand over extensive internal documentation, reports Que Thi Jugues (h/t MARCA).

Bartomeu, through his legal team, submitted a document to the investigating judge rejecting the demand.

Real Madrid’s request has been denied by Bartomeu. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The former president argues that Real Madrid are attempting to exploit the legal proceedings to obtain private documents and gain access to privileged information about Barcelona.

As mentioned earlier, Real Madrid asked for audits from the last eight years and annual accounts covering the entire 18-year period (2001 to 2018) during which payments were made to the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees.

Bartomeu’s defence claims the request is driven by sporting rivalry rather than legal necessity. The submitted document states that the files are being requested by “an opponent not only in the legal process, but also a rival in the sporting and financial sphere”.

It alleges that Madrid’s aim is to obtain internal reports on Barça’s financial and commercial activity for purposes unrelated to the legal process.

The report does, however, note that the report notes that Bartomeu has already provided the relevant documentation in his possession to the case.