Real Madrid has expressed its deep dissatisfaction with the role played by the lawyers representing LaLiga and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) during Joan Laporta’s testimony in the ongoing investigation into the Negreira case. From the club’s perspective, their conduct was the final straw. “Their passivity shows a clear lack of interest in uncovering the truth,” sources within the club state.

Both institutions were present at the City of Justice in Barcelona through their legal representatives. The RFEF was represented by Beatriz Seijo, a criminal law specialist and member of the Galician Committee for Sports Justice, recently appointed to the federation’s board by Rafael Louzán. Seijo did not ask a single question during Laporta’s testimony. LaLiga’s lawyer, Francisco Martínez, asked only one question, limited to whether Enríquez Negreira’s son had accompanied referees to Camp Nou.

This lack of initiative has caused significant anger at Real Madrid, although it did not come as a surprise. Inside the club, it is seen as consistent with the stance previously expressed by Fran Soto, current president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), who publicly stated that the Negreira case “causes considerable harm” and that it would be best for everyone if it ended as soon as possible.

Javier Tebas also addressed the matter, arguing that Barcelona paid Negreira because he promised to influence referee promotions and relegations. According to Tebas, this would constitute sports corruption, but not match-fixing, and therefore would be difficult to prove in court.

Despite the attitude of LaLiga and the RFEF, Real Madrid has no intention of stepping aside. The club remains committed to the process as a private prosecutor and will continue until a final judicial ruling is issued. The Court of Instruction No. 1 in Barcelona is investigating payments totaling 7.3 million euros made by Barcelona to José María Enríquez Negreira and his son, Javier Enríquez, between 2011 and 2018, to determine whether they were intended to influence refereeing decisions.

During his testimony, Laporta denied any wrongdoing, claiming that Barcelona was “a global example” due to its style of play. He also stated that the club received more than 600 technical reports to justify the payments and that the practice was inherited from previous administrations, despite the fact that more than one million euros were paid during his own presidency.

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