What did José María Enríquez Negreira think about arbitration, Barcelona, Madrid, and the referee scene from years past?
In a candid July 1992 exchange published by Mundo Deportivo, Enríquez Negreira, after 26 years with the Catalan referees school, reflected on the need for reform in the sport. The journalist pressed him about the possibility of easy money in football. Negreira responded with quiet resolve: no one pressured him to chase money, and even if such an offer had appeared, he would not share it, not even as a joke. He spoke of a system that would require sweeping changes to win the public’s trust, noting that the issue was deeper than a single edition could cover. The moment captured a turning point in how officials and clubs were viewed as football evolved in Spain.
“Barcelona have been champions when they deserved it and had a great team. The rest is nonsense.”
The interview touched on leadership within Barcelona and the broader culture around the sport. When asked if Joan Gaspart, then vice president of Barcelona, would attend a hypothetical honor for the former head of the umpires, Negreira offered a pragmatic reply: such moments would be decided on the spot. He also commented on whether Plaza’s approach to football amounted to trying to undermine Barcelona, insisting that Barcelona had earned their titles when the team was strong, and that the rest missed the mark.
“Nobody suggested me to make easy money. And if I had come across that, I wouldn’t tell them.”
Reflecting on his officiating of Real Madrid, Negreira recalled a notable incident in which Juanito waited in the tunnel to apologize after an event at the Bernabéu. He described Juanito as a person with a rough reputation yet fundamentally decent. Throughout the interview, Negreira emphasized his enjoyment of football and the fortunes that came with it, while reiterating that no one asked him to pursue money, and if such a possibility had arisen, he would not share it with others.
Viewed through the lens of history, the caption suggested a moment when a long era of officiating began to give way to a new leadership that aimed to push football in a fresh direction.
Today, José María Enríquez Negreira stands at the center of a case that shook Spanish football. It later emerged that he received payments totaling nearly seven million euros from FC Barcelona over 18 years while serving on the Technical Committee of Referees. The Public Prosecution Service states that Barcelona, through presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, formed a confidential oral agreement with Negreira. In his role as vice president of the CTA, and in return for money, he would influence refereeing decisions to favor the club in matches and, by extension, the outcomes of competitions.
Citation: Goal