Negreira case may not produce a ruling until late 2027
The Negreira investigation is nearing its final stage, but a trial is not expected before autumn 2027. A first ruling could follow later that year.
More than three years after the investigation began, there is still no official trial date in the Negreira case. Legal sources consulted by “MARCA” now believe proceedings are most likely to begin in autumn 2027.
If the trial starts in October or November and lasts between one and two weeks, a first-instance ruling could be delivered before the end of that year. This remains an estimate rather than a timetable approved by the court.
Several steps must still be completed. The investigation has not formally closed, appeals remain unresolved and the eventual date will also depend on the workload of the criminal court assigned to hear the case.
NO NEW SIX-MONTH EXTENSION
Judge Alejandra Gil has rejected Real Madrid’s request to extend the investigative phase by another six months. Spanish prosecutors supported the application, while the existing formal deadline expired on 1 September.
That decision does not close the case and does not clear Barcelona of the allegations being investigated. Two witness statements arranged before the deadline are still scheduled for November.
Former Barcelona player and reserve-team coach Gerard López is expected to testify, along with reserve-team delegate Antonio A. The judge ruled that these hearings can still take place because they were authorised before the previous investigative period expired.
The refusal to grant another extension may sound like a conclusion when reduced to a headline. Procedurally, it is nothing of the sort. Barcelona have received no acquittal, while the court has not yet decided whether the case will proceed to trial.
THE COURT MUST DECIDE WHAT COMES NEXT
Once the remaining witnesses have been heard, the judge can issue an order formally ending the investigative phase. She will then have to decide whether the evidence justifies moving to an abbreviated procedure leading to trial, or whether the case should be dismissed in full or in part.
If proceedings continue, the prosecuting parties will submit their allegations and sentencing requests. The defence will then file its response before the case can be transferred to the appropriate criminal court.
There are also pending disputes over additional investigative measures requested by Real Madrid, which is participating as a private prosecutor. Appeals and any further evidence authorised by the Barcelona Court of Appeal could add more time to the process.
For those reasons, the legal sources cited in Spain consider a trial before autumn 2027 difficult. Even without another formal six-month extension, the route from investigation to courtroom remains long.
BARCELONA DENY SEEKING SPORTING FAVOURS
The investigation concerns €7.3 million paid by FC Barcelona between 2001 and 2018 to José María Enríquez Negreira and entities connected to him and his son. During that period, Negreira served as vice-president of Spain’s Referees’ Technical Committee.
Barcelona acknowledge the payments but maintain that they covered legitimate consultancy, video analysis and technical reports about referees. The club deny that the purpose was to influence officials or secure favourable sporting treatment.
Determining the purpose behind those payments and the intentions of the people who authorised them remains central to the case. All defendants retain the presumption of innocence. There has been no conviction, but there has also been no judicial ruling accepting Barcelona’s explanation as proven fact.
A 2027 RULING MAY NOT BE THE END
Even if the trial takes place in autumn 2027 and a ruling follows before the end of the year, that judgment may not be final. The parties would still have the right to appeal.
A legally binding conclusion could therefore arrive considerably later. Late 2027 should be treated as a possible date for the first ruling, not as a guaranteed end to the Negreira case.
Barcelona have spent years saying the matter will ultimately be settled in court. The court appears to have no intention of settling it according to football’s preferred timetable.
