Real Madrid escalates legal battle against Barcelona in the Negreira affair
26 December 2025
Background and Escalation
Spanish press reports reveal a new move by Real Madrid in their ongoing dispute with their arch-rival Barcelona, tied to the Negreira affair.
After Florentino Pérez stated at the general assembly that the club would "go to the end," it is clear Madrid has no intention of backing down and is preparing more decisive steps.
What Madrid Demands and the Road Ahead
According to the Spanish newspaper AS, Madrid is not content to pursue the legal route alone; it plans to seek multimillion-euro damages for the injuries it argues were caused to it and to Spanish football by Barcelona's payments to Enríquez Negreira.
As some hold out hope that Article 4.1 of EU regulations could trigger sports sanctions, an increasing number of clubs feel that earlier responses did not reflect the gravity of the revelations.
The case traces back to a series of payments totaling 8.4 million euros to firms linked to the former deputy head of the referees' committee, with reports of unclear invoices and inconsistent testimonies from Barcelona officials, along with questionable reports and information.
In a further escalation, Real Madrid filed an urgent request for 625 documents including audits, invoices, and account movements covering 2010 to 2021, plus budgets reflecting payments to the firms involved in the case.
Madrid's move comes after the investigation period was extended to March 1, with expectations that the matter could go well beyond that date.
As the Liga and the Spanish federation have reportedly reduced attendance at hearings, Madrid's lawyers push the offensive, arguing that what happened distorted competition and harmed Spanish football.
Punchline 1: If this case had a scoreboard, the only thing lighting up would be the calendar—the timelines are getting dramatic fast.
Punchline 2: In football, the heaviest load isn’t the trophy; it’s the stack of invoices Barcelona might need to defend itself. Better bring a calculator to the press conference.
