RFEF and CTA defend referees’ integrity in El Caso Negreira, one referee under suspicion

The RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation) and the CTA (Referees Committee) have given a joint press conference to explain the results of their investigation over the Negreira Case.

Andreu Camps, General Secretary of the RFEF, and Luis Medina Cantalejo, head of the CTA, spoke to the press today to declare that they had found no evidence of any corruption between or influence exercised over referees.

After conducting an internal investigation, more of a requesting of information, they established that so far there was no reason to raise any formal complaints or investigations. They have made the information available to the tax agency, the state prosecutor, UEFA and FIFA, the latter two having requested information.

They say that of the 240 referees, one did not answer their requests. They did not reply at all to the questions. The rest did so, and when asked about the single exception, they would not reveal names, and that the referee in question ‘simply did not respond’. Medina Cantalejo became emotional defending the honour of the referees.

‘We are not corrupt,’ Medina said, continuing to say that ‘Spanish football is clean’.

It was revealed that the CTA did have business relations with Enriquez Negreira’s son, Javier Enriquez Negreira. Billing the CTA for two coaching sessions, and various other jobs from 1999, Negreira receiving payments between €250 and €13k.

Both parties are examining their options with regard to the referee who did not respond. They also requested information from Barcelona, who said they will provide it when they have it. Currently they are carrying out their own investigation.