Real Madrid are convinced that UEFA will punish Barcelona for Negreira
Real Madrid are convinced UEFA will punish Barça over Negreira.
Among the many issues Florentino Pérez addressed during his press conference on Tuesday at Valdebebas, much of his attention was focused on the Negreira Case, which he described as “the biggest scandal in history.” He claimed that referees had received money from Barcelona, to the point that the Catalan club has reportedly considered taking legal action. The Real Madrid president also made one thing clear: he trusts UEFA to act and punish Barcelona over the continuous payment of €8.4 million ($9.1 million) across 17 years to the former vice-president of Spain’s refereeing committee.
In fact, Real Madrid are convinced that UEFA will impose some form of sanction on Barcelona in relation to the Negreira Case. Florentino Pérez left little doubt about that belief: “We are going to submit the report we have prepared to UEFA so that they can finally address this situation. UEFA will get involved in this matter, they will. It cannot be that they are under suspicion of corruption paid for over 20 years. We’ll see what happens in both the criminal and sporting aspects with UEFA. UEFA has agreed to send us the entire dossier...”
In Spain, however, the legal process has moved slowly, something that frustrates Florentino Pérez, who said he cannot understand why there has still been no resolution three years after the case first came to light. From a sporting perspective, it is also unlikely that any punishment will be imposed domestically, as Spanish sports law establishes a three-year statute of limitations for such offences.
At UEFA level, though, the situation is different. Initially, it was believed that FIFA would intervene, but because the matter concerns a domestic competition, UEFA would be responsible for taking action if necessary, specifically under Article 4 of UEFA’s Disciplinary Regulations.
The article states: “If, on the basis of all the circumstances and information available to UEFA, UEFA concludes to its complete satisfaction that a club has been directly and/or indirectly involved, since the entry into force of Article 50(3) of the UEFA Statutes, i.e., 27 April 2007, in any activity aimed at fixing or influencing the outcome of a match at national or international level, UEFA shall declare that club ineligible to participate in the competition. This ineligibility is effective for one football season only. In making its decision, UEFA may rely on, but is not bound by, a decision of a national or international sporting body, arbitral tribunal or state court. UEFA may refrain from declaring a club ineligible to participate in the competition if UEFA is satisfied with the impact of the decision taken in relation to the same factual circumstances by a national or international sporting body, arbitral tribunal or state court.”
In other words, UEFA could determine that Barça should be barred from UEFA competitions because the alleged conduct relates to competitions overseen by Spain’s refereeing structure. The extent of any potential sanction remains unclear, particularly given that the payments were allegedly made continuously over a 17-year period rather than being linked to a single match.
Relations between Real Madrid and UEFA had been strained until recently, but the agreement to abandon the Super League project has led to a rapprochement between Florentino Pérez and Aleksander Ceferin. The UEFA president was highly critical of Barcelona when discussing the Negreira Case: “I have looked into it, and the situation is extremely serious. So serious, in my opinion, that it is one of the most serious in football that I have ever seen.”
Ceferin also made clear that UEFA’s investigation remains ongoing. The process is still open, meaning Real Madrid’s hopes that Barcelona could eventually face punishment remain alive, while FIFA continues to observe the situation from a distance.
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