“Correction: Civil Guard Finds Lack of Impartiality in Referee Organization During Enriquez Negreira’s Tenure”

Correction: In a previous version of this article, it was inaccurately stated that the Civil Guard considered reports of Barcelona paying more than €8m to Enriquez Negreira as entirely false. The correct statement should have been that the Civil Guard considered Barcelona’s payment of more than €8m to Negreira for refereeing reports as entirely false.

Over the past six months, the world of football has been abuzz with discussions about referees and, particularly, concerns regarding their impartiality. These conversations have been spurred by what has come to be known as “El Caso Negreira,” which centers around the relationship between Barcelona and Enriquez Negreira, the former Vice-President of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA).

Throughout this ordeal, Barcelona has steadfastly maintained that they did not pay referees during their association with Negreira, and there has been no concrete evidence to suggest otherwise. Barcelona’s official stance is that the payments made were for referee reports, a practice deemed legal and one that several other teams also employ for evaluation purposes.

However, as reported by El Mundo, the Civil Guard has reached the conclusion that during Negreira’s tenure as the VP of the CTA, the organization lacked impartiality.

The Civil Guard’s report also points out that Barcelona “have not provided the identity of the professionals who would have developed the services” offered by Negreira’s companies. Additionally, the club has not supplied “copies of videos, documents, or reports in which the specific advisory work is carried out.”

In a significant development, the Civil Guard has categorically dismissed Barcelona’s claims of paying more than €8 million to Negreira for refereeing reports, deeming these services fictitious and not in alignment with the club’s assertions.

These documents have now been submitted to the Spanish courts, and it is anticipated that there will be a thorough review of the evidence. As the legal process unfolds, Barcelona remains in a state of uncertainty regarding the outcome of this complex and contentious matter.