Real Madrid increases pressure, Barca struggles amid referee bribery scandal

Real Madrid keeps intensifying its pressure in the Negreira affair by formally asking the court to incorporate declarations from multiple ex-Barcelona executives into the corruption probe.

Real Madrid has stepped up its legal offensive in the Negreira case, officially requesting the court to accept the case including public statements from former Barcelona officials such as Joan Gaspart, Toni Freixa, Albert Perrin, and Alfons Godall.

This move was revealed by former referee Xavi Estrada on August 29, confirming that Real Madrid submitted a petition urging the judge to add these testimonies to the case file.

According to the petition, Real Madrid argues that former Barcelona officials, who held senior positions during the period the club paid former Head of Refereeing Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, have publicly disclosed “crucial details” that could help verify the “bribery nature” of the alleged transactions.

“The club has requested to ‘obtain information regarding public statements related to the ongoing investigation, made by individuals who held senior roles at Barcelona during the time payments were made to Enriquez Negreira and his business network, and who, in their public remarks, revealed elements significant to confirming the purpose behind these payments,’” the petition excerpt reads.

This request also includes conducting official investigative measures to verify the content of these statements and the direct connection between the speakers and Barcelona.

One of the most notable testimonies highlighted by Real Madrid is that of Toni Freixa, who admitted in an interview with Cadena SER: “When the board discovered it, they concluded it was better to continue doing it, just in case anything happened.”

He also affirmed that payments to Enriquez Negreira were never stopped across multiple Barcelona presidencies: “This was passed down from one president to another: Nunez, Gaspart, Laporta, Rosell, Bartomeu…”

Both FIFA and UEFA are closely monitoring the developments, with the possibility of imposing sporting sanctions if the case is officially confirmed to involve bribery.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid shows no signs of backing down and is determined to make all public statements from former Barcelona officials legally binding evidence.

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