Real Madrid's UEFA move against Barcelona: Demands stripping of 9 league titles
As part of the Negreira case, Real Madrid is demanding that the 9 league titles won by Barcelona between 2001 and 2018 be revoked.
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The Negreira case, which has been on the agenda in Spanish football for years, has reignited with a new application made by Real Madrid to UEFA. Real Madrid is requesting an investigation into the league titles won by Barcelona between 2001 and 2018 and, according to the Spanish press, is seeking the revocation of a total of 9 titles.
The Madrid representative announced that it has submitted a comprehensive 50,000-page file to UEFA. It was stated that the file contains documents and evidence regarding the payments Barcelona made to companies linked to Negreira, the former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees.
In its statement, Real Madrid indicated that UEFA has confirmed receipt of the complaint and that the investigation into the payments Barcelona made to Negreira over the last 20 years is ongoing. The club argued that the file contains extensive documentation regarding events that "directly undermine the integrity of the competition and trust in the refereeing system."
BARCELONA HAD EXPLAINED THE PAYMENTS AS CONSULTANCY
Previous investigations into the Negreira case revealed that Barcelona paid approximately 7.3 to 8.4 million euros to companies linked to Negreira between 2001 and 2018. It is noted that the payments ended in 2018, the year Negreira left his post.
Barcelona, for its part, maintains that the payments in question were not intended to influence refereeing decisions, but were external consultancy services received as part of reports prepared on referees to support the technical staff. The prosecutor's office continues to investigate whether the payments were intended to influence refereeing decisions within the scope of sports corruption.
According to the Spanish sports newspaper Diario AS, Real Madrid took action before UEFA because some of the allegations have reached the statute of limitations under Spanish sports law. The club wants UEFA to complete the investigation quickly and make a decision based on the findings to be proven.
Real Madrid also stated that it will continue to cooperate with UEFA and will take the necessary steps to shed light on events that it argues are incompatible with the principles of integrity, transparency, and fair play in European football.