The CTA hands the matter to Integrity, but any sports sanction would already have been set in motion by the facts themselves.
The Technical Commission of Referees released a statement noting that she has made herself available to the justice system in relation to the Negreira case. At present, GOAL has learned, the CTA has not filed or announced any complaint against the former Vice President of the CTA, even though he received consultancy remuneration from FC Barcelona. This arrangement raises the question of a potential conflict of interest. What has occurred is a referral of the case to the Integrity Department for review. RFEF bylaws highlight the conflict of interest issue and imply that, if such a conflict exists, it could amount to improper conduct. While it has not been proven or documented that Enríquez Negreira’s work was intended to sway arbitration, the available information so far rests on an AET audit of the former arbitrator and invoices for a “Technical Video Consulting” service. This cautious stance reflects a broader commitment to due process and accountability in football governance. (Goal)
“Very heavy” sanctions prescribe three years
Even if RFEF Integrity uncovers irregularities or offenses, the window for disciplinary action against the Barça club could already have closed. The basis for this lies in the structure of the RFEF Sports Act and the Disciplinary Code, where sanctions deemed “very serious” carry a three-year statute of limitations. This principle is anchored in article 9 of the rules that govern violations and sanctions. In practice, violations can be time-barred after three years, or after one year or one month depending on whether they are categorized as very serious, serious, or minor. The calculation begins the day after the decision imposing the sanction becomes final, or the day after the obligation to comply with it initiates if it had begun but was interrupted. (Goal)
This framework articulates that the clock for sanctions starts when the governing body’s decision becomes firm, and the limitation period runs from that moment onward. It is a reminder that disciplinary processes in football are bounded by clear temporal rules, which can constrain subsequent actions even in high-profile cases. The practical upshot is that a hypothetical irregularity, if verified, would still be weighed against the elapsed time to determine whether any punishment could be enforced. (Goal)
Source: Goal