What is FC Barcelona’s Negreira case, and what are the costs? | Football
EXPLAINER
Real Madrid accuse Barcelona of paying former refereeing official Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira between 2001 and 2018.
Real Madrid have urged UEFA to conclude its ongoing investigation into the Negreira case with “utmost urgency” after European soccer’s governing physique confirmed receiving a file from them on Thursday.
The case pertains to Barcelona soccer membership allegedly paying thousands and thousands of {dollars} to the corporate of Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the previous vp of Spanish soccer’s refereeing committee, between 2001 and 2018, to attempt to affect referee choices.
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Barcelona have denied any wrongdoing or unrest of curiosity and stated they paid him for reviews and recommendation associated to refereeing.
Thursday’s assertion by UEFA was the most recent replace in its investigation into the funds opened in 2023, whereas there may be an ongoing Spanish prison case as nicely.
Here’s all the things you could know concerning the case:
What is the Real Madrid vs Barcelona Negreira case?
Barcelona allegedly paid greater than 7.3 million euros ($7.95m) between 2001 and 2018 to companies owned by Negreira, who was vp of the refereeing committee of the Spanish soccer affiliation from 1993-2018.
In March 2023, Spanish prosecutors formally charged Barcelona in addition to two of the membership’s former presidents, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, and Negreira and his son, Javier Enriquez Negreira, with corruption over the affair.
Barcelona was accused of corruption in sports activities, fraudulent administration and the falsification of mercantile documentation; it denies any wrongdoing and says the funds have been made for technical refereeing reviews.
In June 2023, UEFA’s investigators determined that Barcelona wouldn’t face any punishment, and the membership has continued to play in European competitors since then.
What are Real Madrid’s accusations in opposition to Barcelona?
Real Madrid have primarily accused Barcelona of sports activities corruption and influencing refereeing choices by way of funds to Negreira.
The membership joined the criticism filed by Spanish prosecutors in opposition to Barcelona and expressed their “deep concern concerning the seriousness of the info”.
According to reviews in Spanish media, Real Madrid have requested that Barcelona be stripped of the 9 titles they received between 2001 and 2018, the years through which the Catalan membership paid Negreira.
What have UEFA, Real Madrid, and Barcelona stated?
All three entities issued separate statements on Thursday evening.
- UEFA: The governing physique confirmed receiving a “substantial quantity of paperwork” — reportedly price 50,000 pages — from Real Madrid pertaining to the investigation. “The UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors have additionally acquired these newest paperwork which they may assess as a part of their ongoing evaluate,” it stated in a press release.
- Real Madrid: The membership issued its assertion following UEFA’s announcement and confirmed that it had offered “intensive documentation and proof relating to occasions of extraordinary seriousness, which instantly have an effect on the integrity of the competitors and confidence within the refereeing system.” It urged that UEFA’s investigation proceed with “utmost urgency till its full conclusion” now that the file has been handed over.
- Barcelona: Accused occasion Barcelona issued a press release clarifying that the most recent improvement pertains to the identical ongoing investigation, and that “proceedings haven’t been reopened as a result of they’ve by no means been closed.” “As of as we speak, they haven’t made any new requests to FC Barcelona nor have they forwarded Real Madrid’s criticism to the Club. Should they achieve this, the Club will reply accordingly, because it has executed so far.”
What else is occurring between Real Madrid and Barcelona?
Some reviews in Spain declare that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and FC Barcelona have been summoned to look earlier than a Madrid court docket on November 25 for a conciliation listening to forward of potential prison proceedings for defamation in opposition to Perez.
The listening to follows authorized motion launched by Barcelona on June 12 over feedback made by Perez in May within the Negreira case.
Barcelona stated the motion was supposed to drive Perez to retract statements it described as knowingly false, defamatory and damaging to the membership’s picture and popularity.
The membership warned that if the conciliation course of failed, it could file a prison criticism.
The dispute centres on feedback Perez made at a May 12 information convention in regards to the so-called Negreira case.
Perez described the affair as “essentially the most critical case of corruption in soccer”, including: “We may by no means have imagined Barcelona giving cash to the top of the referees.”
He additionally claimed Real Madrid had been denied league titles, saying: “I’ve received seven leagues. I may have received twice as many. The others have been stolen from me.”
Neither entity has issued any assertion since UEFA acknowledged receiving Real Madrid’s file on Thursday.
Will the case have an effect on El Clasico?
The Spanish soccer giants will meet within the first leg of El Clasico on October 25 in La Liga. The case can have no bearing on the scheduling of the match however may present an added contact of drama to what’s often called one of the crucial bitter soccer rivalries in membership soccer.
