Former FC Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu has reiterated his denial of any wrongdoing in the ongoing Negreira case, which accuses the club of sporting corruption related to payments to the former Vice-President of the Referees Committee (CTA). Barcelona reportedly paid €7-8 million over 17 years to Negreira's business interests.
Bartomeu and all four presidents of the club during the period strongly deny accusations that these payments were intended to bribe or influence referees. In an interview with Sport, Bartomeu said: "Barca never tried to bribe referees. During my presidency in 2014, I witnessed no such attempt. No referee has ever stated that Barca bribed or tried to bribe them."
He acknowledged that the consultancy services did exist and that all related documentation and videos from Javier Enriquez—Negreira’s son and employee—are now part of the court proceedings.
Bartomeu explained that under his presidency, the contract with one of Negreira’s companies was terminated in 2018 due to cost concerns. A leaked memo revealed threats from Javier Enriquez after the service was discontinued. "I am the main defendant because the statute of limitations applies for other former presidents. I defended Barca's reputation and opposed Real Madrid's demands for extensive internal financial details," he added.
The case, emerging publicly in 2023 and currently in trial, is expected to continue for some time. Real Madrid President Florentino Perez has publicly called it the greatest scandal in football history and urged UEFA to intervene.
