The Barça club is facing a fresh institutional crisis, and this piece lays out all the details for readers in Canada and the United States.
February 2023 brought another shock to Barcelona. Initial reporting from Cadena SER claimed that the Public Prosecution Service was examining a payment of 1.4 million euros from Barcelona to the former Vice-President of the Technical Committee of Referees, José María Enríquez Negreira, during 2016 to 2018 when he held that post.
According to Cadena SER, through its program Què t’hi Jugues, the entity DASNIL 95 SL, registered under Negreira, paid 532,728.02 euros in 2016, 541,752 euros in 2017, and 318,200 euros in 2018, with payments ceasing as Negreira left his CTA role.
THIS IS HOW THE “NEGREIRA CASE” BEGINS…
Who is Enríquez Negreira, the former referee and CTA vice president who billed Barcelona for advisory services
In 1945, a Barcelona native entered the football world and rose to prominence as a referee who spent more than a decade officiating top-level matches. His career included thirteen seasons in the First Division and, in his final active year, overseeing Second Division games in 1991–92.
After stepping back from the whistle, he moved into leadership roles within the refereeing community, ultimately becoming vice-chairman of the Technical Committee of Referees and remaining a well-known figure in Catalan football circles. He held the post of Vice President of the Technical Commission of Referees until the end of the 2017–18 season.
MORE ABOUT JOSÉ MARÍA ENRÍQUEZ NEGREIRA
What is the “Negreira case”
Barcelona has reportedly made 33 payments to José María Enríquez Negreira for a total of 1,685,142 euros, with payment records delivered to the Treasury between 2016 and 2018 while Negreira served as vice president of the CTA, according to reported disclosures.
Reports later indicated that Negreira had received 6,659,488 euros from Barça since 2001, a figure suggesting a long-standing relationship that began during the early years of Joan Laporta’s presidency. The payments were described as supporting advisory services during Negreira’s tenure in the CTA.
Accounts point to a succession of directors associated with Laporta, including Joan Gaspart, Sandro Rosell, and Josep Maria Bartomeu, with ongoing discussions about governance and integrity within the club.
RFEF statutes and potential sanctions for Barcelona
The statutes of the RFEF outline duties for members, including article provisions on Fundamental Rights and Duties, emphasizing loyalty, integrity, and sportsmanship aligned with fair play. The framework cautions against actions that could undermine the federation or its competitions and notes that gifts or advantages should not be accepted or offered if they could be deemed excessive, especially when they involve third parties with future interests in RFEF decisions.
Sports discipline and possible penalties
The disciplinary framework includes penalties for very serious infringements, potentially including demotion or loss of category when facts are proven to be grave. This section reviews how sanctions might apply under the relevant royal decree on sports discipline.
POTENTIAL SANCTIONS DISCUSSION
Negreira is under investigation, not Barcelona
Questions remain about whether the RFEF will step in. Intervention would typically require a formal request from the Ministry of Justice. At present, the matter rests with the Barcelona public prosecutor, and Negreira is the principal person under investigation. There is no ongoing probe into FC Barcelona by the prosecutor’s office, and no clear indication that the club has committed a crime.
The Technical Commission of Referees distances itself from Negreira and warns members against conflicts of interest
In a public statement, the CTA offered full cooperation with law enforcement and condemned misconduct that could compromise ethics in the sport. It clarified that Negreira has not been part of federation structures since the government change after the 2018 elections.
CTA statement: the commission stressed its commitment to ethical standards and cooperation with authorities.