Court defends Barca amid 'referee bribery' storm, Real at a disadvantage

The Spanish court denied Real Madrid's motion to review Barcelona's financial documents, significantly disadvantaging the royal club in the referee bribery allegations.

Recently, the Spanish court officially dismissed Real Madrid's demand to examine Barcelona's internal financial files related to the Negreira case. This ruling is seen as a crucial turning point that directly slows down the legal path pursued by the royal club.

The Negreira case erupted in 2023, focusing on a total of 8.4 million Euros paid by Barcelona over a long period to companies connected to José María Enríquez Negreira. He is a former La Liga referee and ex-Vice President of the Spanish Referees Technical Committee (CTA).

Investigations reveal payments were made continuously for 17 years, from 2001 to 2018. Although bribery charges were dropped in 2024 because Negreira was not considered a public official, the case continues with a new focus on sports corruption offenses.

In this context, Real Madrid joined the case as an interested party and took legal steps to clarify consequences they believe may have directly affected them. Real's legal representative, Mr. Molina, requested access to Barcelona’s financial records from 2003 to 2021.

Real Madrid's request included audit reports, financial assessments, multi-year budgets, and over 600 related documents aimed at clarifying how the 8.4 million euros were used and whether any opaque advantages were created.

However, former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu—currently a defendant in the case—strongly opposed this request. He argued that allowing a rival club to access internal financial data would violate corporate privacy and exceed necessary legal limits. The current Barca president, Joan Laporta, also denied the allegations, and criticized the accusations directed at his club.

Ultimately, the Spanish court ruled in favor of Bartomeu, officially rejecting Real Madrid's request. This decision poses greater challenges than ever for the royal club’s ambition to claim millions in compensation in the Negreira case.