Barcelona say Negreira investigation was never reopened as they respond to Real Madrid

Barcelona have rejected reports that UEFA has reactivated proceedings over the Negreira case, insisting the investigation has remained open since 2023 and has never been closed.

In an official statement, the Catalan club said UEFA’s latest announcement did not confirm the opening, reopening or reactivation of new proceedings against Barcelona. Instead, it said the statement only acknowledged receipt of documents submitted by Real Madrid, which investigators will assess as part of the existing investigation.

Barcelona said UEFA’s procedure began in 2023, when two investigators were appointed to take whatever steps they considered appropriate. The club added that it had complied with all requests made by the investigators throughout the process.

The club also pointed to UEFA’s own wording, which referred to an “ongoing investigation” and a “continued review”. Barcelona said those terms demonstrated that the case had not been closed and therefore could not have been reopened or reactivated.

It added that UEFA had not made any assessment of the substance or value of the documents submitted by Real Madrid. According to Barcelona, the European governing body had merely confirmed that the material had been received and would be reviewed by its ethics and disciplinary inspectors.

Barcelona await any further UEFA requests

Barcelona said responsibility for deciding the next step rests with UEFA’s investigators. The club said it had not received any new requests from them and that Real Madrid’s complaint had not been referred to Barcelona.

“If we receive any new requests or if Real Madrid’s complaint is sent to us, we will respond in accordance with the established procedures, as we have done since the beginning of the case,” the club said.

The statement followed Real Madrid’s announcement that its complaint to UEFA included a large number of documents and pieces of evidence relating to payments received by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the Referees’ Technical Committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation.

Real Madrid considers the matters under investigation to affect the integrity of competition and confidence in the refereeing system.

Barcelona also said the European proceedings remain subject, under the relevant legislation, to the outcome of the criminal case currently being heard in Spain. The club stressed that this position continues to apply.

The Catalan side further cited the UEFA licence it had received to compete in European competitions since the investigation began. Barcelona said the licence had been granted without objection and that it had continued to participate normally in UEFA competitions.

Barcelona ended its statement by reaffirming its full co-operation with the relevant authorities. It also called on the media to show “rigour and accuracy” when reporting information connected with the case, amid the debate created by UEFA’s latest announcement and Real Madrid’s use of the submitted documents.