Real Madrid asks UEFA for urgent decision on Barcelona payments case
UEFA has acknowledged receiving a dossier from Real Madrid as its investigation into alleged payments to former refereeing official José María Enríquez Negreira continues.
Real Madrid has urged UEFA to conclude its investigation into Barcelona’s alleged payments to companies owned by former Spanish refereeing committee vice-president José María Enríquez Negreira. UEFA confirmed it received a dossier from the Madrid club on Thursday.
The payments, reportedly more than €7.3 million, were made between 2001 and 2018. Barcelona says they were for refereeing reports and advice, and denies wrongdoing or a conflict of interest. The available material does not establish that the payments influenced refereeing decisions.
Spanish prosecutors charged Barcelona, former club presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, Negreira and his son in 2023. The Spanish criminal case remains ongoing.
UEFA opened its investigation in 2023. Its investigators decided in June that Barcelona would not face punishment, and the club has continued to play in European competition. The supplied information gives no outcome for UEFA’s current investigation.
Reports in Spanish media say Barcelona and Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez were summoned to a Madrid court for a conciliation hearing on 25 November over Pérez’s comments about the case. That reported summons has not been confirmed by the parties.
