Published : 02 Oct 2026, 12:48 AM
Updated : 02 Oct 2026, 12:48 AM
The long-running Negreira case has taken another turn in Europe, with UEFA now reviewing material submitted by Real Madrid as the Spanish club continue to push for greater scrutiny of Barcelona.
UEFA confirmed on Thursday that it had received “a large quantity of documents” from Real Madrid concerning the investigation into Barcelona and José María Enríquez Negreira, the former deputy head of Spain’s refereeing technical committee, Goal.com reports.
The European governing body said its ethics and disciplinary inspectors had also obtained the material and would examine it as part of their ongoing review.
UEFA did not, however, announce the opening of formal disciplinary proceedings against Barcelona.
Real Madrid have been seeking to keep the case alive at European level after expressing frustration over the pace of developments in Spain.
According to Spanish newspaper Marca, the club have spent recent months pressing UEFA and other European football institutions to consider the implications of the investigation.
The latest move follows a letter Real Madrid sent to UEFA in June calling for disciplinary proceedings against Barcelona, which had previously been opened by the European body, to resume.
The club said it had provided evidence that, in its view, reinforced concerns surrounding Barcelona’s payments to Negreira and posed a serious threat to the integrity of competitions.
UEFA first opened an investigation in March 2023, appointing ethics and disciplinary inspectors to examine whether Barcelona had breached its regulations in connection with the Negreira case.
What the Case Is About
At its centre are payments made by Barcelona to Negreira and companies linked to him over a period of years.
Investigation documents put the total at more than €7.5 million between 2001 and 2018, with Barcelona saying the payments were for technical reports and consulting services related to refereeing.
Barcelona have denied wrongdoing throughout the investigation.
The case has attracted intense scrutiny because of Negreira’s position within Spanish refereeing while receiving payments from the club. Investigators, however, have not established that he paid referees to influence match results.
Real Madrid have continued to argue that the matter deserves examination beyond Spain.
The club have also been rebuilding its relationship with UEFA and working towards restoring ties with the European Club Association, while maintaining its position on the Negreira investigation.
For now, UEFA’s latest statement confirms only that Real Madrid’s evidence is in the hands of its competent bodies for review.
It does not amount to a finding against Barcelona or confirm that fresh disciplinary action will follow.
The European stage, however, remains open to further developments as UEFA examines the material.
