Real Madrid believe UEFA has grounds to ban Barcelona from Champions League

Real Madrid are convinced UEFA now has enough evidence to take disciplinary action against Barcelona in the Negreira case, including a possible one-season ban from the Champions League.

According to sources quoted by Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Real Madrid believe the European governing body’s decision to continue examining the case is more than a routine step to add documents to an investigation that has been open since 2023.

The club considers a report submitted on 17 June, running to more than 50,000 pages, to be the key development. In Real Madrid’s view, the report contains the information UEFA had been missing and explains why the European investigation had previously remained on hold.

The sources said UEFA does not intend to close its disciplinary inquiry until a final judgment has been delivered in the ongoing court case in Spain. However, the European disciplinary process is entirely separate from the Spanish judicial proceedings.

Real Madrid believe the evidence is sufficient for UEFA to apply its regulations, which allow action against any club directly or indirectly involved in activity intended to manipulate, or influence, the outcome of a match at national or international level.

Under UEFA rules, the potential punishment could include exclusion from the Champions League for one full season as well as a substantial fine.

The Spanish club also considers Barcelona’s alleged payments to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the Spanish refereeing committee, to represent a serious breach of UEFA’s ethical rules. The payments are said to have continued for 15 years.

Real Madrid’s position is that the issue extends beyond possible match manipulation. The club argues that the alleged payments themselves could constitute a serious ethical violation under European football regulations.

A central legal argument made by Real Madrid is that sporting disciplinary procedures operate independently of criminal proceedings. The two processes can therefore produce different outcomes and do not cancel each other out.

A person could be convicted in a criminal court without facing sporting sanctions, while a criminal case could be dismissed because of insufficient criminal evidence even when there are considered to be adequate grounds for disciplinary action in sport.

Real Madrid have formally joined the Spanish case as a prosecuting party. While legal proceedings in Spain continue, the club is calling for immediate disciplinary action against Barcelona and believes the report of more than 50,000 pages provides strong grounds for such a move.