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Negreira corruption case legal proceedings

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2026-10-01 18:30 UTC → 2026-10-01 22:42 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The Negreira case, involving allegations of sports corruption regarding payments made by FC Barcelona to former Spanish referee official José María Enríquez Negreira between 2001 and 2018, has moved into significant legal and regulatory phases. In the domestic legal sphere, a magistrate rejected a request from Real Madrid to extend the investigative period, suggesting the instruction phase is nearing its end. Following pending procedures and testimony, a trial is expected to take place in the autumn of 2027. Simultaneously, the matter has reached UEFA. Real Madrid has submitted a 500-page dossier to the governing body, with President Florentino Pérez describing the situation as “the largest corruption case in football history.” While domestic sanctions may have expired under Spanish law, UEFA retains the authority to impose continental sanctions, including potential suspensions from European competitions. UEFA has confirmed receipt of the substantial documentation from Real Madrid, which is currently being reviewed by the organization’s ethics and disciplinary inspectors. Real Madrid has used this dossier to contend that the payments—estimated between €7.3 million and €8.4 million—were intended to influence refereeing decisions, and has requested that Barcelona be stripped of nine titles won during the period in question. Real Madrid has called for the investigation to proceed with “the utmost urgency,” citing matters of “extraordinary gravity” regarding competition integrity. FC Barcelona maintains that the payments were for legitimate technical reports on refereeing and denies any wrongdoing. The club has clarified that UEFA has not opened a new investigation or reactivated previous proceedings, but is instead reviewing information within an existing process that began in 2023. Barcelona has stated it has consistently complied with investigator requests and has not yet received formal notification regarding the new complaint filed by Real Madrid.

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