Madrid, June 17 (IANS) Real Madrid have formally approached UEFA’s disciplinary bodies, urging European football’s governing authority to take immediate action against Barcelona over the long-running Negreira case involving payments made to former Spanish refereeing official Jose Maria Negreira.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Real Madrid said they had submitted a written communication to UEFA outlining what the club described as significant evidence related to payments made by Barcelona to companies linked to Negreira over a period spanning nearly two decades.

Barcelona have consistently maintained that the payments, reported to exceed seven million euros between 2001 and 2018, were made for consultancy services and technical reports concerning referees.

Real Madrid, however, argued that the available evidence points to an improper relationship with the refereeing structure and called for disciplinary intervention.

“Regarding the so-called ‘Negreira Case’, the club has informed UEFA of the existence of significant evidence that conclusively reinforces the indications already known since the beginning regarding the existence of prolonged, opaque payments lacking any verifiable justification, made by Barcelona to Negreira through various corporate structures,” Madrid said in an official statement.

“These facts constitute, from the perspective of sports disciplinary law, a systemic risk of utmost severity for the integrity of competitions, as they reveal the existence of a structure of undue influence over the refereeing body, incompatible with the essential principles of competitive equality, neutrality, impartiality, and unpredictability of sports outcomes,” the statement added.

The matter first came to light in 2023, prompting UEFA to launch an examination through its ethics and disciplinary inspectors. No public update has been issued on that process since then.

Madrid further urged UEFA to revive the disciplinary proceedings initiated earlier, arguing that the prolonged absence of a resolution risks damaging confidence in football’s institutions and governance.

“Madrid has urged the immediate resumption of the disciplinary proceedings previously initiated by UEFA, considering it unacceptable that this situation has persisted over time, as its continuation seriously compromises the credibility of football, its institutions, and its leaders.

“Therefore, the club demands a firm, exemplary, and immediate response in the sporting domain, independently of the ongoing judicial proceedings,” the statement concluded.

–IANS

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