Real Madrid has delivered what it describes as "evidence of extraordinary gravity" to European football's governing body, relating to payments Barcelona made to a former Spanish referee committee official. The submission, reported to exceed 50,000 pages in length, centres on allegations that Barcelona transferred 8.4 million euros (£7.2 million) to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira between 2001 and 2018.
Uefa confirmed receipt of the documents and stated that its ethics and disciplinary inspectors will examine them as part of an existing investigation into the matter. The governing body described the dossier as "substantial" but did not announce any new disciplinary proceedings against Barcelona.
Barcelona has consistently maintained that all payments to Negreira and his company Dasnil 95 were legitimate compensation for scouting services and technical reports about match officials. The club has denied any impropriety since the case became public in 2023.
What does Real Madrid claim?
Real Madrid asserts that the material it has submitted contains evidence "which directly affects the integrity of the competition and confidence in the refereeing system." In a statement released on Thursday, the club called for the investigation to advance "as quickly as possible until its complete conclusion" and urged officials to "adopt the corresponding decisions in accordance with the seriousness of the proven facts."
According to Spanish public broadcaster RTVE, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez had indicated in May that the club was preparing documentation for Uefa, initially describing it as approximately 500 pages. The submission ultimately included more than 50,000 pages and video materials.
What are Barcelona's allegations?
Previous reporting has suggested that the payments to Negreira may have been used to influence referees in Barcelona's favour. Barcelona has categorically rejected these claims, describing them as unfounded.
How has Barcelona responded?
Barcelona stated on Thursday that Uefa had "not opened any new proceedings" against the club. The organisation emphasised that proceedings initiated in 2023, with the appointment of two investigators, remain ongoing rather than reopened. Barcelona said it has "always complied with all" investigator requests and noted that as of the date of its statement, investigators had not made fresh demands nor forwarded Real Madrid's complaint to the club.
Barcelona added that the case remains subject to the outcome of criminal proceedings underway in Spain and will be held in abeyance pending their conclusion. The club stated it would respond appropriately should investigators request further information.
What is the history of this investigation?
The payments to Negreira came to light during a tax authority investigation in 2023. According to reporting from that period, Uefa opened its investigation in March 2023, appointing ethics and disciplinary inspectors to determine whether Barcelona had breached its regulations.
In June 2023, Uefa's investigators concluded that Barcelona would not face punishment, and the club has continued to participate in European competitions since that determination. A Barcelona court has been examining the case since 2023, and that investigation remains active.
La Liga president Javier Tebas stated in March 2023 that the competition body "could not take any action" because the payments occurred too long ago. He characterised the case as "time-barred in sports law, but not in criminal law."
What happens next?
According to Uefa's confirmation, the governing body's ethics and disciplinary inspectors will assess the submitted material as part of their ongoing review. No decision date or next hearing has been reported at this time.
