Real Madrid urge UEFA to strip Barcelona of European titles in Negreira case

UEFA has formally reopened its disciplinary investigation into Barcelona over payments to former Spanish refereeing official Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira after Real Madrid submitted a dossier containing almost 50,000 pages of documents, evidence and statements.

According to Spanish newspaper AS, an investigator appointed to the case has begun examining the material provided by Real Madrid. The club is also asking UEFA to consider removing the European titles Barcelona won during the years in which it made payments to Negreira.

The period under investigation runs from 2001 to 2018. AS reports that Barcelona paid about €8.4m to Negreira, who was previously vice-president of Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees.

UEFA is examining the nature and purpose of those payments, including whether they had any impact on football competitions.

Real Madrid confirmed in June that it had submitted a formal memorandum to UEFA’s disciplinary bodies concerning the Negreira case. The club said at the time that its submission included evidence it believed strengthened indications of long-term payments from Barcelona to Negreira through various companies and structures.

UEFA said on Thursday that it had received a “large amount” of documentation from Real Madrid relating to the ongoing investigation into Barcelona. Its ethics and disciplinary inspectors have also obtained the documents so they can assess them as part of the continuing review.

The latest development moves the case into a detailed examination of the evidence. The process is also expected to include the collection of information directly from the parties involved and witness statements, while Barcelona will have the opportunity to present its defence and observations.

The Negreira case concerns payments made by Barcelona to companies linked to Negreira. The former refereeing official held his position as vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees during the period covered by the investigation.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin described the case in 2023, after it became public, as one of the most serious he had seen in football.

However, Ceferin said at the time that the matter was subject to a sporting limitation period in Spain, meaning domestic sporting authorities could no longer pursue it on those grounds. He added that the same restriction did not apply to UEFA.

The opening of the disciplinary file means UEFA’s review is now progressing through its evidence-gathering phase. No sporting consequences have been announced, but Real Madrid is seeking sanctions that could include the removal of Barcelona’s European honours from the years covered by the payments.