The Negreira Case: Ongoing Proceedings Between Criminal Justice and European Football Oversight

Following the recent appointment of a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to assess the so-called Negreira matter, this article explores and analyzes all the aspects of this Spanish saga that has now reached European football.

Introduction

The so-called Negreira case concerns the purpose and potential criminal significance of payments FC Barcelona made between 2001 and 2018 to companies linked to José María Enríquez Negreira.^[1] While the club maintains that these payments were made in consideration for advisory services and technical refereeing reports, the investigation is examining whether they were intended to exert improper influence over the refereeing establishment.

The matter became public on 15 February 2023, when the programme Què t’hi jugues!,

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