Enríquez Negreira’s “so many favours for so many years” threat to Barcelona

According to El Mundo, José María Enríquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the Royal Spanish Soccer Federation’s Technical Committee of Referees, says that he provided “technical advice at the request of presidents Laporta, Rosell and Bartomeu” in a burofax - the Spanish equivalent of a special registered letter - that he sent to Barcelona demanding an outstanding payment that he was due.

Barcelona’s outstanding payment

In the letter, he claims that the club were due to pay him €267,047 corresponding to the period between July and December 2018, by which time he had already left his post on the Referees Committee. Enríquez, through his lawyer, indicated that he hoped the non-payment was due to a “misunderstanding” and that he intended to prolong his relationship with Barcelona.

How did Enríquez Negreira threaten Barcelona?

The letter concluded that should his business relationship with Barça break down, “the attitude shown by FC Barcelona and especially Mr. Bartomeu will be incomprehensible, which would severely disappoint him (Enríquez) after so many years of working together, so many favours done and so much shared in confidence”. He then warned that the payment of the outstanding figure would ensure that “greater evils and undesired consequences for both parties will be avoided”.