Real Madrid to Join Legal Complaint Against Barcelona over Refereeing Scandal

Real Madrid condemned the allegations against Barcelona tied to payments to a company owned by refereeing official José María Enríquez Negreira.

"Real Madrid wishes to express its utmost concern regarding the gravity of the facts and reiterates its confidence in the legal system," the club said Sunday. "The club has agreed that, in defence of its legitimate rights, it will appear at the trial when the judge opens it up to the affected parties."

Per the Guardian's Sid Lowe, Barcelona paid more than €7 million to Negreira over a period years that spanned multiple club presidents. The payments ceased in 2018.

At the time, Negreira was the vice-president of the Spanish federation's refereeing committee.

Barcelona denied any wrongdoing and said the payments to DASNIL 95 SL, the company co-owned by Negreira, were for the purpose of obtaining "technical reports related to professional refereeing." The Catalan giants described it as "a common practice among professional football clubs."

However, Spanish prosecutors on Friday formally accused Barcelona of corruption and alleged Negreira displayed favorable treatment toward Barça. The legal complaint specifically centers around €2.9 million paid to Negreira from 2014 to 2018.

Club president Joan Laporta called for supporters to remain "calm" Sunday:

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez said on Saturday the club's board of directors planned to meet to decide on how Madrid would respond to the situation.