UEFA has confirmed it received a substantial body of documents from Real Madrid as part of its investigation into alleged payments by Barcelona to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees.
The governing body confirmed the development on Thursday afternoon, after Real Madrid submitted material connected to the long-running Negreira case.
The investigation concerns payments allegedly made by Barcelona over several seasons to Negreira, who was previously the deputy head of Spain’s refereeing organisation. The case has remained a major issue in Spanish football in recent years.
Real Madrid have previously called for Barcelona to be stripped of titles in connection with the matter. The club also issued a statement on Thursday urging UEFA to pursue its investigation with urgency.
“In light of the communication issued today by UEFA regarding the so-called ‘Negreira case,’ Real Madrid C.F. states the following,” the statement said.
“UEFA has confirmed the receipt of the complaint filed by Real Madrid C.F. and the continuation of the investigation concerning payments made over the past two decades by F.C. Barcelona to the former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees.
“The complaint filed by our club includes extensive documentation and evidence regarding events of extraordinary seriousness, which directly affect the integrity of the competition and confidence in the refereeing system.
“Real Madrid C.F. considers it essential that, now that UEFA has this documentation, the investigation proceeds with the utmost urgency until its full conclusion, and that the competent bodies take the appropriate decisions in accordance with the severity of the verified facts.
“Our club will continue to actively collaborate with UEFA and take all actions within its power to clarify events that it deems incompatible with the principles of integrity, transparency, and fair play that should govern European football.”
UEFA’s confirmation relates to the complaint submitted by Real Madrid and the continuing examination of the alleged payments. The documents provided by the club are understood, according to its statement, to contain evidence relating to the impact of the case on competition integrity and confidence in refereeing.
Real Madrid said it would continue to co-operate with UEFA and use all available avenues to pursue clarification of the events.