Real Madrid Requests Extension of Negreira Investigation

Real Madrid has submitted a request to Court Number 1 in Barcelona to extend the investigation into the Negreira case by an additional six months. This case examines the payments of €7.3 million made by Barcelona between 2001 and 2018 to José María Enriquez Negreira, the former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees, and his son Javier Enriquez Romero.

According to EFE, which reviewed the memorandum submitted by Real Madrid, the club believes that the detailed investigation conducted by the Civil Guard during the inquiry has uncovered solid direct and indirect evidence indicating the existence of ongoing sports corruption.

Real Madrid added in its statement that these data should lead, as soon as possible, to the case moving to the summary proceedings stage, as it is a plaintiff in the case.

The club indicated that extending the investigation has become necessary, despite the court's ruling in May to extend it until September 1, 2026, clarifying that there are testimonies, documents, and other investigative procedures that have not yet been completed.

Real Madrid has asked the court to compel Barcelona to submit documents regarding its internal system for preventing crimes, compliance system, or organizational and management model, effective from the implementation of the amended Basic Law No. 5/2010 until July 2018, which is the period during which payments were made to entities linked to Enriquez Negreira.

The club has stated, according to EFE, that current investigations indicate that internal controls within Barcelona were deliberately suspended when handling payments to Enriquez Negreira. Furthermore, it has not yet been shown that any party within the club objected to or questioned these payments, whether through payment approval procedures, internal and external audits, forensic audit reports, or due diligence processes.