Spanish courts are looking into payments of up to €7 million that Barcelona made over almost twenty years to companies connected to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, a former vice-president of Spain’s refereeing committee. In 2024, a Spanish court dismissed bribery charges against the club. La Liga president Javier Tebas has criticised Real Madrid again for repeatedly attacking Barcelona over the Negreira case. The investigation is trying to determine whether these payments were intended to give Barcelona a competitive edge.
Barcelona says it did nothing wrong and claims the payments were for referee reports.
Tebas said the judicial process should be allowed to run its course, with the courts examining the evidence and determining whether the payments amounted to sporting corruption. Tebas reiterated that he has been critical of the Negreira case from the outset, but said there is a difference between investigating the payments and continuing, years later, to suggest that Negreira still has an influence on Spanish refereeing.
He also questioned calls for La Liga to take action against Barcelona before the case reaches a judicial conclusion, pointing out that the alleged offences are already time-barred under Spanish sporting disciplinary rules.
