Accusations of referee bribery, Real Madrid sues Barca in court

Real Madrid is taking steps legally to claim damages from Barcelona over the Negreira scandal, asserting that the unjust outcomes might have affected them directly.

Real Madrid is reportedly aiming to demand “millions of euros in compensation” from Barcelona, as the Spanish Royal Club initiates legal procedures related to the unresolved Negreira scandalwhich the Catalan representatives are currently facing in court.

The case erupted in 2023 involving €8.4 million paid by Barcelona to companies linked to José María Enríquez Negreira, a former La Liga referee and ex-Vice President of the Spanish Refereeing Technical Committee (CTA).

These payments were made over 17 years, from 2001 to 2018. Although bribery charges were dropped in 2024 because Negreira was not considered a public official, the investigation continues under new allegations of sports corruption.

Barcelona has consistently denied that these payments were connected to allegations of “referee bribery.” According to the Catalan club’s argument, Negreira was hired solely as an “advisor,” providing reports on the opponents’ young players as well as analyses related to professional refereeing.

As revealed by AS, on Christmas Eve, Real Madrid submitted a request for Barcelona to provide invoices, audit reports, and appraisal records covering 2010–2021, along with budgets from 2010 to 2018. In total, Real Madrid demands 625 documents to clarify how the €8.4 million was used and what impact it had.

However, Real Madrid’s efforts go beyond just seeking answers about the “bribery influence” suspicion. Sources say the Royal Club “will not stop” and is considering claiming damages. The argument is that if Barcelona ever received any undisclosed favoritism from referees, their on-field successes could have been affected by this, causing unfair consequences in both results and revenue for Real Madrid.

Former Real Madrid captain Lucas Vázquez also voiced a warning that “justice will be served” as more details of the Negreira case gradually come to light.

“Gradually, the truth is emerging and we clearly see what happened during Negreira’s era. Sooner or later, justice will be done,” Vázquez told AS. “This is something that needs to be examined and punished… Clearly, it’s not normal. Absolutely not normal.”