According to a report from AS, Real Madrid are preparing to take their campaign regarding the Negreira case directly to UEFA, with club president Florentino Pérez reportedly making the issue one of his key priorities following his recent re-election victory.
The report claims that much of Real Madrid’s work behind the scenes in recent months has been focused on pushing for what the club believes would be an appropriate sporting response to the allegations surrounding Barcelona’s payments to former
vice-president of Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees, José María Enríquez Negreira.
Real Madrid have assembled a comprehensive dossier that is now being sent to UEFA headquarters. The document reportedly contains the club’s legal and sporting arguments regarding the case, supported by evidence that Real Madrid believe justifies disciplinary action.
The move comes amid what AS describes as an improving relationship between Real Madrid and UEFA. While the two institutions have often found themselves on opposite sides of major debates in recent years, particularly regarding the Super League project, the report suggests there is now greater alignment on issues related to sporting integrity and the protection of competitive fairness in European football.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin previously referred to the Negreira affair as “the most serious case” he had seen in football, although UEFA has so far refrained from issuing any final sanctions while legal proceedings in Spain continue.
According to AS, Real Madrid are not only seeking a potential ban from European competitions for Barcelona if UEFA determines disciplinary action is warranted. The report further claims that Madrid’s complaint also argues for the removal of titles won during the period covered by the Negreira investigation, a measure that would represent one of the most severe sporting punishments ever imposed in modern football.
UEFA opened an investigation into the matter in 2023 but effectively paused its process while awaiting developments in the Spanish judicial system. AS reports that UEFA has continued monitoring the case and that Real Madrid’s latest submission is intended to reignite scrutiny at the European level.
Whether UEFA chooses to act on Real Madrid’s complaint remains unclear. Any decision would likely depend on both the outcome of ongoing legal proceedings in Spain and UEFA’s own assessment of the evidence presented.
