Court documents highlight bizarre pre-dated payments for World Cup/EURO “digitalization” and unexplained €60k for skincare gifts.

Barcelona and the Negreira Case

Bizarre Invoices Emerge in Ongoing Investigation

Recent court documents from the Spanish Prosecutor’s Office in the Negreira case have revealed highly questionable invoices related to payments from FC Barcelona to companies linked to former referees’ vice-president José María Enríquez Negreira.

Key examples include:

  • €60,900 in 2005 for “Aloe Vera gift packs” – no clear link to refereeing services.
  • €139,200 invoiced on June 4, 2010, for recording and digitalizing plays from the 2010 World Cup – before the tournament started (June 11-July 11).
  • €90,750 on June 4, 2016, for the 2016 EURO matches – tournament ran June 10-July 10.
  • €90,750 on June 7, 2018, for the 2018 World Cup – started June 14.
  • €141,600 on June 15, 2018, for the 2012 EURO (held in 2012).
  • €145,200 on June 17, 2014, for the 2014 World Cup – just after start (June 12-July 13).

Payments were also routed through companies registered to Negreira’s son (for “education purposes”) and former Barcelona executive Josep Contreras (for alleged renovation work).

These details surfaced during testimony, including from president Joan Laporta, who stated he “did not remember” the Aloe Vera invoice or others, calling them old details.

Prosecutors and private accusers (including Real Madrid) argue these suggest fictitious justifications for the €7-8+ million payments (2001-2018), potentially covering improper influence.

Barcelona maintains all payments were for legitimate technical reports on referees, with no proven impact on matches.

The case, charged as corporate/sports corruption, continues without sporting sanctions yet. Real Madrid recently requested full financial audits (2010-2021) for deeper scrutiny.

A deeply embarrassing chapter for the club as irregularities pile up in court.