The long-running Negreira case, one of the most high-profile sports corruption probes in Spanish football, entered a defining chapter Thursday as former Barcelona presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu faced scrutiny over millions in payments to a former refereeing official.
Two and a half years after prosecutors opened the investigation, Barcelona’s Court of Instruction No. 13 is hearing live testimony from suspects and witnesses at the center of the 7.3 million euro ($8.6 million) scandal.
At issue is whether payments from the club to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice president of Spain’s referees’ committee, were legitimate consulting fees or attempts to buy influence between 2001 and 2018.
The courtroom buzzed as Rosell, who ran Barcelona from 2010 to 2014, arrived shortly after 9:00 a.m. local time.
During his tenure, the club transferred around 1.5 million euros to Negreira’s company, Dasnil 95, officially for “external refereeing advice.”
He entered without comment, flanked by his legal team, and is expected to face questions probing the rationale behind the payments.
Bartomeu, who oversaw 5.5 million euros in payments as president between 2014 and 2020, is scheduled to testify Friday.
Already entangled in the separate “Barcagate” scandal, in which the club allegedly funded a PR campaign to smear rivals and critics, Bartomeu now faces further scrutiny over whether the financial relationship with Negreira overlapped with broader governance failures during his leadership.
The day began with testimony from Negreira’s son, Javier Enriquez, who admitted producing referee reports for Barcelona but insisted they were strictly analytical and not intended to influence matches.
Prosecutors pressed him on over 600 invoices worth 6,000-7,000 euros apiece, many lacking detailed documentation.
After more than two hours in court, Enriquez avoided self-incrimination, though further questioning of his business associates may be forthcoming.
Despite years of raids, seized documents, and financial forensics by the Civil Guard, investigators have yet to produce definitive proof of bribery or referee manipulation.
Courts dismissed direct bribery charges in 2024, but the club remains under scrutiny for unfair administration and potential sports corruption.
Real Madrid, acting as a private prosecutor, has requested the case be extended into 2026 to allow for deeper financial analysis, while Judge Alejandra Gil aims to conclude the investigation by the end of the month.
Alongside Rosell, Bartomeu, and Javier Enriquez, others implicated include Negreira himself, who denied wrongdoing before his death in 2024, and his partner Ana Paula Rufas, connected to Dasnil 95’s operations.
Former executives Albert Soler and Oscar Grau, who approved the payments, are expected to testify in October.
Current president Joan Laporta, who briefly resumed the payments in 2021 before halting them, has dismissed the probe as a “witch hunt,” and former coaches Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde are slated to testify in November.
If convicted of sports corruption, Barcelona could face fines up to 5 million euros, compounding its financial struggles under La Liga’s salary cap restrictions.
The case, which could drag into 2026, now rests on the testimonies of Rosell, Bartomeu, and Javier Enriquez, placing the club under intense scrutiny as fans, rivals and media follow every moment inside the Barcelona Palace of Justice.
