The Negreira affair continues to make headlines in Spain.

Real Madrid recently sent UEFA a set of documents concerning payments made by FC Barcelona between 2001 and 2018 to José María Enríquez Negreira, then vice-president of the Referees’ Technical Committee.

According to reports, the payments in question amount to approximately €8.4 million.

Real Madrid believes these payments warrant examination as part of the investigation.

For its part, FC Barcelona has consistently maintained that these sums corresponded to technical consulting services and refereeing-related analyses, and not to an attempt to gain an advantage over the referees.

FC Barcelona has officially responded to UEFA’s statement regarding the Negreira case.

Barça points out that the European investigation began in 2023, with the appointment of two investigators, and that it has never been closed.

According to the club, UEFA’s recent communication merely confirms receipt of the documents submitted by Real Madrid and their review as part of the ongoing investigation.

FC Barcelona also emphasizes that the European governing body’s statement, in its view, contains no conclusions on the substance of the case nor any assessment of the value of the new evidence.

The club maintains that it will respond to any requests from the authorities at the appropriate time, as it claims to have done throughout the investigation. To be continued.