After a period of reflection and feeling directly affected by the case, Real Madrid decided to formally join the proceedings as a private prosecutor in the trial investigating the nature and purpose of the payments made by FC Barcelona to José María Enríquez Negreira over a 17-year period.

Club president Florentino Pérez had already made the club’s stance clear in the last two general assemblies, publicly stating that Real Madrid would see the case through to the end and would demand responsibility if it is proven that Barcelona’s actions were aimed at influencing refereeing decisions.

By becoming a formal party to the case, Real Madrid gained the right to actively participate in the judicial process. On Friday morning, the club exercised that right, and the questions posed by its legal team to Joan Laporta during his testimony left little room for doubt regarding the club’s position.

Among the issues raised was the 800% increase in payments made over time. The lawyers also focused on the role played by Negreira’s son, particularly in relation to technical reports that were allegedly produced but have never been presented, despite payments being made for that work through alternative channels. Reports which, according to testimony, Barcelona’s coaching staffs at the time never received or reviewed.

Real Madrid’s legal representatives also questioned why these payments were concealed from tax authorities, as well as the true origin and justification of the funds, given that the explanations initially provided differed from the later claims regarding advisory reports.

The club’s active role in the trial reinforces Florentino Pérez’s repeated message: Real Madrid intends to pursue the case fully and demand accountability if wrongdoing is established.

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