A man in a suit and tie appears in the foreground with a blue and red background, and in the upper right corner, there is a circular inset with the image of another man also in a suit.
Laporta remains in the eye of the storm | Camara Real Madrid Confidencial
FIRST TEAM

2 Years Since the Negreira Case: What Is Known About the Investigation Into Barça

The controversial 'Negreira case' continues to tarnish the league competition and the refereeing community.

by

Diego Mengual

The Controversial "Negreira Case" Continues to Damage Soccer in Spain, while the Justice system works to determine responsibilities.

This story continues to damage the reputation and integrity of a competition that is more questioned than ever.

It has been 2 years since this scandal broke out and it remains unsolved, while the refereeing community is in the eye of the storm.

A man in a suit talking on the phone and covering his mouth with his hand.
Laporta remains very nervous about this case | Real Madrid Confidencial

"It is not a case of sports corruption. There was no intention to alter the competition to gain any sporting advantage. In this 'Negreira Case,' services were provided, documented with invoices. Therefore, I understand that it is clear with these services that there was no sports corruption," expressed, at the time, a Joan Laporta, who explained little and washed his hands of this thorny issue.

Payment to Negreira

Barcelona paid more than 8.5 million euros to José María Enríquez Negreira over 17 years, while this figure was vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees of the Royal Spanish Football Federation.

The payments are accredited, but, according to the Civil Guard, the reports have not yet been found.

The investigation process is very close to reaching its conclusion, something that should occur on March 1.

However, Judge Aguirre's retirement may prolong everything even further.

The aforementioned judicial authority sees in this whole process a "systemic corruption", although this has not yet been proven in the investigations.

"It is presumed by pure logic that FC Barcelona would not pay Vice President Negreira around 7 million euros since 2001 if it did not benefit them," explained Judge Aguirre.

Real Madrid's Position

Real Madrid decided in the past to become a party in this case, something that was demanded by its fans.

A man in a checkered jacket and red sweater is sitting at a table with a microphone and water bottles, in front of a red background with the logo of the Royal Spanish Football Federation.
Cantalejo is on the wire | Real Madrid Confidencial

Additionally, the white club is fighting to change the structure of the refereeing establishment, currently presided over by Luis Medina Cantalejo.

What happened at the RCDE Stadium with Carlos Romero's terrible tackle on Kylian Mbappé made Madridists and their leaders explode.

Beyond Joan Laporta's anger, Florentino Pérez will not stop defending his members, so he wants this case to be solved.

➡️ First Team

More posts: