Real Madrid have called on UEFA to continue its investigation into the long-running Negreira case involving payments made by Barcelona to companies linked to former Spanish refereeing official José María Enríquez Negreira.

The Madrid club said UEFA had acknowledged receipt of its complaint and supporting documentation concerning the payments, which took place over a prolonged period while Negreira was vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees of the Spanish Football Federation.

Real Madrid had formally submitted a statement to UEFA's disciplinary bodies in June 2026, saying it had provided evidence relating to the payments and asking UEFA to resume the disciplinary proceedings connected with the case.

In its latest statement, Real Madrid maintained that the matter should be examined fully by the relevant football authorities. The club said it would continue cooperating with UEFA and pursue measures it considers necessary to establish the facts.

The Negreira case centres on payments made by Barcelona to companies associated with Negreira during the period in which he held a senior position within Spain's refereeing structure. The payments themselves are established, while the purpose of those payments and whether they amounted to sporting wrongdoing remain matters of investigation and legal dispute.

Barcelona have previously maintained that the payments were connected to technical refereeing reports and consultancy services and have denied attempting to obtain favourable refereeing decisions.

UEFA became involved in the matter in 2023 when its Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors were appointed to investigate a potential violation of the organisation's legal framework by Barcelona in connection with the case.

Real Madrid's latest position follows earlier statements by the club calling for UEFA to examine the case independently of the ongoing proceedings before Spanish judicial authorities.

In its June submission, Real Madrid argued that the information surrounding the payments raised serious questions about the integrity and credibility of football competitions. However, those assertions represent the club's position and do not constitute a final determination by UEFA or a court that sporting competitions were improperly influenced.

The Spanish legal proceedings have separately examined whether the payments could amount to criminal or sporting wrongdoing. The case has attracted significant attention because Negreira held a senior position within the refereeing system during the period in which the payments were made.

Real Madrid have indicated that they intend to remain involved in the matter and continue providing information to the relevant authorities.

For now, the central questions remain whether the payments had a legitimate consultancy purpose, whether they were intended to influence refereeing decisions and whether any sporting or legal rules were breached. Those issues remain subject to the relevant investigations and proceedings.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia