UEFA investigates Barcelona over Negreira scandal for title forfeiture
- Barcelona faces a potential forfeiture of European titles as UEFA keeps its active probe into the Negreira refereeing scandal open, according to a report.
- UEFA announced that it received these new documents and confirmed its ongoing probe remains active.
- During the 17-year period under scrutiny, Barcelona collected nine La Liga titles, six Copa del Rey trophies, and seven Spanish Super Cups.
Barcelona faces a potential forfeiture of European titles as UEFA keeps its active probe into the Negreira refereeing scandal open, according to a report. The club is under investigation for allegedly paying more than €7 million ($7.9 million) across 17 years between 2001 and 2018 to a company owned by José María Enríquez Negreira, the former vice president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation refereeing committee.
Real Madrid Dossier Drives UEFA Investigation
UEFA announced that it received these new documents and confirmed its ongoing probe remains active. The governing body holds the power to ban clubs from European competition for a season and strip them of titles won in UEFA tournaments if cheating is proven. “However, I can say one thing. I have been informed and the situation is extremely serious.”
Champions League Trophies Under Threat
During the 17-year period under scrutiny, Barcelona collected nine La Liga titles, six Copa del Rey trophies, and seven Spanish Super Cups. The club also secured four Champions League titles during this era, triumphing in the 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, and 2014–15 seasons. Three of those European crowns were followed by UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup victories.
Should UEFA choose to penalize the club by stripping past achievements, four Champions League titles and three UEFA Super Cups are vulnerable to forfeiture. Meanwhile, AS reported that Real Madrid has formally requested that Barcelona also be stripped of all domestic titles won during the 2001–18 timeframe.
Domestic Sanctions Face Legal Hurdles
Domestic consequences remain unlikely because the matter is time-barred at the La Liga level, meaning the Spanish top-flight cannot unilaterally strip the trophies without civil proceedings altering the law. The Spanish prosecutor’s office continues parallel investigations into the payments made to Negreira’s company.
Barcelona won three straight La Liga titles under Pep Guardiola between the 2008–09 and 2010–11 seasons, establishing a domestic dominance that Hansi Flick’s squad aims to match. UEFA’s independent disciplinary committee continues its examination of the case while civil proceedings in Spain remain ongoing.