Negreira case remains open as 20 officials from Barcelona payments era stay active

The Negreira case has returned to the spotlight, with Uefa continuing its examination of payments made by Barcelona to companies linked to former refereeing official Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.

The renewed attention follows comments from Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho and a report by Spanish newspaper AS, which said 20 referees or refereeing officials who were active during Negreira’s time in the Spanish system remain involved in the game.

Those individuals are currently working in a variety of roles, including on-field refereeing, Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duties and technical or administrative positions.

Mourinho spoke after the Madrid derby about the changes he had noticed since returning to La Liga before directly referring to the Negreira case. He questioned whether Negreira was still connected to the matter.

His remarks came as Uefa confirmed that its own investigation was continuing after Real Madrid submitted documents and evidence concerning payments Barcelona made while Negreira was vice-president of Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees.

Uefa said the inquiry remained active. Barcelona, meanwhile, has stated that the case had not been closed.

The 20 names identified as having links to the period include Alberola Rojas, Cordero Vega, Cuadra Fernandez, De Burgos Bengoetxea, Del Cerro Grande, Diaz de Mera, Fernandez Borbalan, Figueroa Vazquez, Gil Manzano, Hernandez Hernandez, Martinez Munuera, Milla Alvendiz, Montero, Lopez Toca, Pizarro Gomez, Pulido Santana, Sanchez Martinez, Trujillo Suarez, Prieto Iglesias and Torrenzo Alvarez.

Their current or former responsibilities extend across refereeing, VAR and technical roles within the Spanish refereeing structure. Fernandez Borbalan and Torrenzo Alvarez are among those now serving in technical and administrative positions away from on-field officiating.

Negreira served as vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees from 1993 until 2018. The case became public in February 2023 after investigations into payments made by Barcelona to companies associated with the former referee.

Spanish investigators have attributed more than 8m euros in payments to Barcelona during the period under examination. The account being investigated is that the money was paid for refereeing-related reports.

The purpose of those payments, and their potential sporting and legal consequences, remain under examination by the authorities.

Barcelona’s Court of Inquiry No. 1 is still handling the case. Statements are scheduled to be heard during November before the proceedings move on to their next procedural stages.

In September, the court rejected a request to extend the investigation by a further six months. However, it kept the inquiry open because of the statements that are still due to be taken.

Negreira’s own involvement in any future proceedings is also uncertain. A recent forensic medical report concluded that his cognitive condition had deteriorated and that he did not possess the cognitive and volitional abilities required to understand the scope of the judicial process.

With the legal investigation continuing in Spain and Uefa pursuing its own examination, the Negreira case remains unresolved. The continued presence of 20 officials from that era within Spanish refereeing also shows that the period remains part of the country’s football debate.