New Negreira Case Unveilings: Referee Testimonies Leaked – ‘He Directly Took Us to the Dressing Room’

Introduction to this article
The article discusses the latest details to emerge about the Negreira case, which has muddied the image of Spanish football nearly a year after the news first broke about Barcelona’s relationship with former Vice-President of the Referees Committee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. The case involves alleged bribery and Sporting Corruption charges against Barcelona, who deny any wrongdoing.

Details of Protocol

The leaked testimonies of around 20 referees, including Antonio Mateu Lahoz, Santiago Jaime Latre, and Alfonso Pino Zamorano, have revealed alleged protocol practices during Negreira’s time as VP. Referees from the top four divisions of the refereeing tree reportedly dined at a restaurant owned by Negreira, and luxury cars were sent to collect referees from their hotels to take them to Camp Nou for Barcelona games.

Testimonies from Referees

In the testimonies, Jaime Latre revealed that Negreira’s son, Javier Enriquez Romero, accompanied him to the dressing room on multiple occasions. However, he believes the purpose was to further Negreira’s own business interests and client list rather than influencing games. Mateu Lahoz confirmed the existence of organized dinners at Negreira’s bar, and Pino Zamorano ended up in a karaoke bar with other officials and Negreira.

Barcelona’s Response

Despite the allegations, Barcelona denies any investigation being opened into the matter, and sources in the Compliance Department at Barcelona claim that the payments to Negreira were never subject to an audit. This has raised questions about the club’s practices and the unusual nature of the payments.