Judge limits further investigation into Negreira case after Real Madrid request

A Barcelona court has rejected Real Madrid’s request to extend the investigation into the Negreira case by a further six months, although the inquiry has not yet been formally closed.

The case centres on payments made by Barcelona to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, a former vice-president of Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees, and his son Javier Enriquez.

According to Marca, the judge overseeing the investigation dismissed Real Madrid’s application, which had been supported by the public prosecutor’s office. The current investigation period expired on Tuesday, 1 September, but Real Madrid had asked for it to continue until March 2027.

The court is examining payments totalling €7.3m made by Barcelona to Negreira and his son between 2001 and 2018. The investigation has focused on the nature and purpose of those payments and whether they may constitute sporting corruption.

Despite refusing the request for an extension, the judge has not brought the proceedings to a definitive end. Two witnesses are still due to give evidence in November: former Barcelona player and former manager of the club’s reserve team Gerard Lopez, and the reserve-team delegate Antonio A.

The judge said the scheduled testimony did not justify prolonging the investigation because both witnesses had already been due to appear before the end of the previous extension period.

The court also rejected Real Madrid’s request to keep the investigation open while awaiting a decision from the Barcelona court on further investigative measures. Those measures had previously been refused.

However, the judge stated that if the Barcelona court later approves Real Madrid’s request, any resulting investigative steps would not be rendered invalid simply because they were carried out after the official investigation deadline had passed.

Real Madrid submitted its request for the six-month extension on 14 July. The club based its application on the findings of an investigation by Spain’s Civil Guard, arguing that those findings had uncovered “direct elements and evidence and solid indications” of an ongoing offence involving sporting corruption.

The latest ruling therefore prevents the investigation from being extended in the way Real Madrid requested, while allowing the two scheduled hearings and other defined legal procedures to take place before a final decision is made on whether to close the case.

The Negreira investigation concerns the payments received by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira while he was a senior figure within the refereeing structure in Spain. Barcelona’s payments to Negreira and Javier Enriquez over the 17-year period from 2001 to 2018 remain the central issue before the court.

The developments can also be discussed in greater depth in the Kooora forums.