Former referee rejects corruption suspicion in Negreira case, stating, ‘They won’t find anything’

Former Spanish referee Antonio Lopez Nieto has dismissed allegations of systemic corruption among referees during the time Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira served as Vice-President of the Referees Committee (CTA). Lopez Nieto, who officiated in La Liga from 1988 to 2003, returned to refereeing in 2011 and spent a decade as part of the CTA before leaving in 2021. He stated that he was responsible for referee designations and that Negreira had no influence over them.

Lopez Nieto emphasized that Negreira’s role was representative and that he had no real power in referee appointments. He argued that Negreira was essentially a figurehead and was not involved in any corrupt practices.

The allegations against Negreira involve payments of between €7 million and €8 million he received from Barcelona over 17 years from 2001 to 2018. Spanish police are investigating potential systemic corruption and whether Negreira played a role in promoting or relegating referees in La Liga and Segunda, which could have influenced their financial rewards.

Lopez Nieto, who received numerous awards for his refereeing career, including the Guruceta award and Don Balon’s best referee award, has consistently denied any wrongdoing during his time as a referee and as part of the CTA.