Real Madrid have asked UEFA to take firm disciplinary action against Barcelona over the Negreira case, escalating a La Liga governance fight tied to historic payments to the former vice president of Spain's refereeing committee.
ESPN reported that Real Madrid submitted a written statement to UEFA's disciplinary bodies on Wednesday. The club is seeking what it called a firm, exemplary and immediate sporting response, separate from the judicial proceedings already moving through the Spanish courts.
Real Madrid Asks UEFA To Reopen Negreira Proceedings
The case centers on payments Barcelona made to companies linked to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, who formerly served as vice president of the Spanish refereeing association. ESPN reported that the payments totaled more than €7 million between 2001 and 2018.
Barcelona have denied buying match officials and have maintained that the money was paid for technical reports on referees and refereeing. Real Madrid's position is different: the club says the payments created undue influence over the refereeing body and damaged the integrity of competition.
UEFA said in 2023 that its ethics and disciplinary inspectors would investigate a possible breach of its legal framework. ESPN reported that there have been no public updates from UEFA since then, and Madrid's new letter asks for those disciplinary proceedings to resume immediately.
Barcelona Denies Wrongdoing As Court Case Continues
UEFA declined to comment to ESPN on Real Madrid's letter, saying its disciplinary bodies operate independently and that it does not comment on ongoing or potential proceedings. That leaves the football-side process separate from the Spanish court investigation, which ESPN said remains active.
The club dispute has also sharpened off the pitch. ESPN noted that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez called the Negreira case the biggest scandal in history during a May news conference, while Barcelona responded last week by filing a mandatory conciliation claim before a potential criminal complaint for slander.
The immediate news is not a verdict against Barcelona. It is Real Madrid's formal push for UEFA to move again on a case that has sat in European football's disciplinary background since 2023, with the two biggest clubs in Spain now openly fighting over how far the sporting process should go.