Barcelona have broken their silence after rivals Real Madrid launched a major offensive at UEFA, submitting a huge cache of documents in the long-running Negreira case.
The development sparked claims that UEFA had opened a new investigation that could threaten Barcelona titles won between 2001 and 2018 – but the Catalan giants have strongly rejected that narrative. According to reports, Real Madrid have handed UEFA tens of thousands of pages of documentation, including evidence and witness statements, relating to Barcelona’s payments to companies owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, former vice-president of Spain’s refereeing committee.
Real Madrid are reportedly pushing for sporting sanctions against Barcelona.
Barcelona: No New Case Has Been Opened
In a firm clarification, Barcelona insisted UEFA has NOT opened any new case against the club.
“Barcelona can confirm UEFA have NOT opened ANY new investigation into Barça. The case was opened in 2023 and has never been closed,” the club said in an official statement to Blueprint.
Barcelona explained that UEFA merely confirmed receipt of Real Madrid’s submission and will assess it within the *existing 2023 investigation*, not as a separate proceeding.
The club stressed that UEFA has made no determination on the value of Real Madrid’s documents and has made no fresh requests to Barcelona nor formally informed the club of the complaint’s contents.
Why This Matters
The distinction is crucial. The submission of documents is not a guilty verdict. It is evidence that must now be reviewed by UEFA investigators.
Barcelona also pointed to a key fact in their defence: they have continued to receive UEFA licenses without objection and have played in the Champions League uninterrupted since the investigation began in 2023.
The club maintains the payments, which are subject to a separate criminal investigation in Spain, were for legitimate technical refereeing reports – not to influence referees. Barcelona deny all wrongdoing.
For now, the Negreira case remains exactly where it was: an open UEFA file from 2023 with new material added by Real Madrid, and a separate judicial process ongoing in Spain. No new UEFA investigation, no verdict yet.
