Real Madrid has called on UEFA to move swiftly with its investigation into the so-called Negreira case after saying European football’s governing body confirmed receipt of the club’s complaint and supporting documentation.
The dispute centres on payments made by Barcelona over a period of years to José María Enríquez Negreira, the former vice-president of Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees. Real Madrid said the material submitted to UEFA contains extensive documentation relating to the payments and their potential implications for confidence in the refereeing system.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Real Madrid said UEFA had confirmed that its investigation into the matter remains ongoing. The Madrid club wants the process completed as quickly as possible and has urged the relevant UEFA bodies to take whatever action they consider appropriate once the facts have been established.
Real Madrid described the issues raised in its complaint as serious matters affecting the integrity of competition and confidence in refereeing. Those descriptions represent the club’s position, and UEFA has not announced a finding that Barcelona committed wrongdoing arising from Real Madrid’s latest submission.
The case has remained one of the most contentious issues in Spanish football, with scrutiny focused on Barcelona’s historical payments to Negreira during his time as a senior figure in the refereeing structure.
Real Madrid said it would continue cooperating with UEFA and pursuing available avenues as the investigation proceeds. Barcelona has consistently disputed suggestions that the payments were intended to influence refereeing decisions.
