FC Barcelona has received a major boost after Spain’s Tax Agency reportedly concluded that payments linked to the Negreira case were not intended to bribe referees or manipulate match results.
According to the official findings, investigators reviewed all related bank transactions and found no evidence that payments were made to active referees or that refereeing decisions were influenced in favour of Barcelona.
The report also stated that there was no proof the club obtained confidential information regarding referee appointments, officiating criteria, or any system capable of altering sporting outcomes.
“In these proceedings, no services provided by the payer have been proven — such as obtaining confidential information about refereeing criteria, referee appointments, or anything similar — nor has it been proven that he could have influenced results in any way,” the statement noted.
The development marks a significant moment in the long-running Negreira investigation, which has generated intense debate across Spanish football and global sports circles over allegations involving payments made to former refereeing official José María Enríquez Negreira.
