Real Madrid’s President Critiques Spanish Football Amidst Ongoing Negreira Scandal

In a recent Christmas toast, Real Madrid’s president, Florentino Perez, delivered a pointed critique of Spanish football while reigniting discussions surrounding the ongoing ‘Negreira Case’. In a passionate address to the media, Perez accused the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and La Liga of failing to uphold their responsibility to protect the integrity of the sport. He asserted that the “systemic corruption” revealed by this scandal has likely jeopardized the top-flight status of various clubs over the past two decades.

The ‘Negreira Case’ revolves around over €7 million in payments made by FC Barcelona to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), from 2001 to 2018. This issue continues to be a significant concern for the Real Madrid leadership. Despite ongoing legal proceedings, Perez emphasized that his club is determined to keep the matter in the spotlight, resisting any attempts from officials to move on.

“Christmas is a time that invites us to reflect. This club has built its history and its legend. We are the club with the highest income in the world, according to Deloitte, and the most valuable, according to Forbes. This has allowed us to experience one of our most successful periods in the last fifteen years, both in football and basketball,” Perez stated.

He continued, “However, Christmas also brings forth the urgent need for reflection. Madrid’s primary concern is the refereeing situation. The severity of the ‘Negreira case’, which has persisted for nearly two decades, warrants justice.”

Perez expressed incredulity that institutions have left Madrid to confront this issue alone, questioning, “How can the president of the referees ask us to forget this? How can we overlook the most significant scandal in football history? The RFEF and La Liga have a duty to ensure integrity.”

In response, FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta criticized his Madrid counterpart, suggesting that Madrid fans are afflicted by what he termed “acute Barcelonitis.”

“Previously, it was merely ‘Barcelonitis’, but now it has escalated. It appears that this condition is embedded in the hearts of Madrid fans,” Laporta remarked.

When asked about Madrid’s recent aggressive stance, Laporta replied, “Inquire with them. What I observe is acute Barcelonitis, which is beneficial for us.”

Laporta further commented, “The current status we have reached naturally breeds envy, which is poorly managed by those who resort to unethical tactics to undermine our reputation. We will not tolerate this. These individuals confuse power with unchallenged despotism and practice cynicism and excessive arrogance. They propagate lies through their media outlets, constantly seeking to mislead.”

Meanwhile, Real Madrid remains resolute in pursuing the truth, having requested extensive internal financial documentation from Barcelona for the years 2010 to 2018. Specific requests include:

1. Internal audits conducted by FC Barcelona during 2010-2018 regarding payments made to various companies, along with details about the authors and recipients of those reports.
2. Annual financial statements and independent external audit reports from the same period.
3. Minutes from meetings of the club’s Tax Governance Committee related to these payments from a fiscal perspective.
4. A formal request for all communications sent to FC Barcelona regarding the payments from relevant entities.
5. Witness testimony from Carlos Naval Biosca.

Additionally, Madrid has sought to include a statement made by Laporta in 2009 that questioned the ethics of signing a former referee, underlining their ongoing scrutiny of Barcelona’s actions.

As both clubs navigate these turbulent waters off the field, they are currently enjoying their Christmas break and will resume La Liga play on January 3 against Espanyol.