Real Madrid has asked UEFA to consider stripping Barcelona of titles won during the period covered by the Negreira case as the long-running dispute over payments to a former senior refereeing official enters a new phase.
UEFA confirmed on Thursday, October 1, that it had received a substantial amount of documentation from Real Madrid relating to its ongoing investigation into Barcelona and former Spanish refereeing official José María Enríquez Negreira. UEFA’s Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors are expected to assess the new material as part of their review.
The case concerns payments made by Barcelona to companies linked to Negreira, who served as vice-president of Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees. The payments covered the period from 2001 to 2018. Barcelona has maintained that the payments were for technical and refereeing reports and has denied that they were intended to influence refereeing decisions.
According to Spanish reports, Real Madrid is seeking sporting consequences that could include the removal of Barcelona’s titles won during the period under investigation. Reports have identified nine league titles as being within the period Real Madrid is challenging.
Real Madrid had previously submitted a dossier to UEFA and called for disciplinary action against Barcelona. The club has now urged UEFA to move quickly with its review.
