Barcelona say Negreira case has not been reopened as club prepares to answer Real Madrid

Barcelona have rejected reports that UEFA has reactivated proceedings over the Negreira case, saying the investigation has remained open since 2023 and has never been formally closed.

In an official statement, the Catalan club said UEFA’s latest announcement did not confirm the opening, reopening or reactivation of new proceedings against Barcelona. Instead, it said the governing body had acknowledged receiving documents submitted by Real Madrid, which will now be assessed by investigators as part of the existing inquiry.

Barcelona said UEFA’s procedures began in 2023, when two investigators were appointed and given responsibility for taking whatever steps they considered appropriate. The club added that it had complied with all requests made by the investigators throughout the process.

It also pointed to the wording used in UEFA’s statement, which referred to an “ongoing investigation” and a “continued review”. According to Barcelona, those terms show that the case had not been concluded and therefore could not have been reopened or reactivated.

The club said UEFA’s statement contained no assessment of the content or significance of the documents submitted by Real Madrid. It said the governing body had only confirmed that the material had been received and would be reviewed by its ethics and disciplinary inspectors.

Barcelona await any further request

Barcelona said the next step would be determined by UEFA’s investigators. The club stated that it had not received any new requests from them and that Real Madrid’s complaint had not been formally referred to Barcelona.

“If we receive any new requests or Real Madrid’s complaint is referred to us, we will respond in accordance with the established procedures, as we have done since the beginning of the case,” the club said.

Real Madrid previously announced that its complaint to UEFA included a large number of documents and pieces of evidence concerning payments received by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees of the Royal Spanish Football Federation.

Real Madrid considers the matters under investigation to affect the integrity of competition and confidence in the refereeing system.

Barcelona also reiterated its position that the European proceedings are subject, under the applicable regulations, to the outcome of the criminal case currently being heard in Spain. The club said that position remained unchanged.

As part of its response, Barcelona highlighted the fact that it had received a UEFA licence to take part in European competitions since the investigation began. It said the licence had been granted without objection and that the club had continued to participate normally in UEFA competitions.

Barcelona ended its statement by reaffirming its full co-operation with the relevant authorities. It also called on the media to show “rigour and accuracy” when reporting information related to the case, amid the debate surrounding UEFA’s latest announcement and Real Madrid’s use of the documents submitted to European football’s governing body.