Barcelona referee Silvia López Mejías broadened the inquiry into the Negreira case, which centers on alleged corruption and unfair management in football during the era when FC Barcelona was led by Joan Gaspart and later by his successor Joan Laporta. The investigations so far have covered the 2010 to 2020 window, a period when Sandro Rosell, a former Barça figure, and subsequently Josep María Bartomeu, headed the club.
In statements given to authorities, the judge noted the proceedings were kept confidential and pointed to Javier Enríquez Romero, the son of a former arbitration leader, as a key figure connected to the case. The duration of the proceedings could extend back to 2001, the year payments began, up to the present moment. Records indicate that FC Barcelona paid about 7.3 million euros to the firms associated with Enríquez. The judge expanded the list of charges to include money laundering and ordered a one-month confidentiality hold on the proceedings. Money laundering offenses carry a maximum horizon of 15 years, which means the investigations might stretch to cover total payments made by Barça across different entities and timeframes.
Sources familiar with the case told this newspaper that the Civil Guard was instructed to carry out a series of investigative steps, though the confidentiality rule limits what can be disclosed. Presently, the case holds documents from Bartomeu’s tenure alone, excluding documents from Rosell’s era. The investigation now seeks additional materials from the presidency, and from Gaspart and Laporta as well.
new defendant
Javier Enríquez, the son and newly named defendant, has been questioned in connection with the proceedings that have culminated in a complaint to the courts. In his testimony, he stepped away from his father’s role and presented reports prepared for FC Barcelona as evidence. Although he was not listed in the complaint, his father, Josep Maria Bartomeu, and Sandro Rosell, along with two former Barça directors, are mentioned. The judge now sees Enríquez as part of the broader business network involved.
The Tebas League, which has overseen the Negreira case, pushed in April to extend the investigation to include Javier Enríquez, citing his links to companies that received payments from Barça. Prosecutors argue that a comprehensive view will reveal active and necessary cooperation. Suspicion rests on a Tax Office report and on Enríquez’s ties to referees who are said to have benefited from his influence, suggesting a broader pattern of involvement with the club.
land connection
The defendants point to Enríquez’s son as the payroll contact, with the Dasnil 95 firm acting as his attorney. This company, which handled payments to Barça and partnered with Enríquez’s father, is said to have connections with other entities such as Soccercam, linking them to the broader network that reportedly benefited from Barça’s funds. Tresep 2014 SL, a company tied to Joan Laporta and former Barça director José Contreras (who died in 2022), allegedly facilitated the collection of certain sums.
One line of inquiry suggests that some payments were framed as retaliation in disguise from Dasnil to Javier Enríquez, with discussions indicating a sustained relationship between Enríquez and the firm he managed. La Liga officials indicated that, in police statements, former Barça managers described connections with Enríquez’s son rather than with the former referee himself. To illustrate Enríquez’s close ties to referees, La Liga provided a list to the court showing payments received in exchange for coaching services from several Spanish referees.