Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez brought the Negreira case back into the spotlight, accusing Barcelona and La Liga of a refereeing conspiracy that facilitated the Catalans’ “best sporting results.”
For the last two years, Barcelona have been under formal investigation for allegedly bribing former vice president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) refereeing committee José María Enríquez Negreira.
The Catalans are suspected of paying a total of €8.4 million (£7.3 million, $9.7 million) from 2001–18 to a company owned by Negreira. Barcelona claimed the payments were for refereeing advice and reports, denying any wrongdoing.
What has become known as the “Negreira case” has been used multiple times by Real Madrid in their ongoing battle against referees in La Liga. The Spanish giants have accused officials throughout Spain of being corrupt, making decisions that benefit Barcelona over Los Blancos.
Tensions have somewhat simmered since last season’s all-out war between Real Madrid and Spanish referees, but Pérez once again stoked the flames at the latest Assembly of Representative Members.
Pérez: Barcelona Paying Referees Is ‘Not Normal’ for ‘Whatever Reason’
The Real Madrid president did not hold back when addressing the assembly: “It’s not normal that Barcelona has paid the vice president of referees more than €8 million for at least 17 years, whatever the reason.
“I repeat: Whatever the reason, it’s not normal.”
Pérez went on to further accuse Barcelona and La Liga of corruption, citing that 17-year period was Barcelona’s “best sporting results” in Spain; the Catalans took home nine La Liga titles, six Copa del Rey titles and eight Spanish Super Cups.
“Real Madrid is the only club that has appeared in the trial. Four [Barcelona] presidents have maintained millionaire payments for 17 years to the vice president of referees,” Pérez continued.
“Fran Soto has asked us to move on and forget the ‘Negreira case,’” he said of the current Technical Committee of Referees (TCA) president. “Who is going to forget it? The reality is that they [the referees involved] are still there. It’s a situation that prevents them from acting with neutrality.”
Pérez went on to mention that FIFA did not select a single Spanish referee for last summer’s Club World Cup in the United States, adding to his argument concerning the quality of officials in Spain.
The TCA and RFEF have yet to respond to Pérez’s recent wave of allegations.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid President Reignites Barcelona, La Liga Conspiracy in Ruthless Rant.
