Barcelona Pulled into Real Madrids Refereeing War

Real Madrid have intensified their refereeing criticism, linking it to Barcelona and the ongoing Negreira case involving €7 million payments (2001-2018). Madrid, citing incidents like Dean Huijsen’s red card and Barcelona’s penalty-free run between 2016-2018, allege favoritism. Barcelona deny wrongdoing, claiming payments were for scouting reports, while former managers and Joan Laporta are set to testify.

When the spotlight once again turned to refereeing controversies in La Liga, Barcelona found themselves at the center of Real Madrid’s growing discontent. Madrid officials, as reported by MARCA, argue that recent refereeing errors are not isolated but tied to lingering doubts over the Negreira case. The case revolves around payments exceeding €7 million that Barcelona made to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, former vice-president of Spain’s Referees’ Committee, between 2001 and 2018.

While Barcelona insist the payments were for scouting and referee analysis, the matter remains under court investigation, with ex-coaches Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde set to testify along with current president Joan Laporta. The controversy intensified after Madrid’s clash with Real Sociedad, where Dean Huijsen was controversially sent off in the first half. Madrid, led by president Florentino Perez, are formally involved in the legal proceedings and have ramped up pressure through RMTV.

The club’s media arm has spotlighted statistics such as Barcelona not conceding a single penalty between February 2016 and March 2018, presenting it as evidence of favoritism. For Barcelona, however, these accusations represent a campaign to delegitimize the club. The Catalan side maintains that the payments were legal and no evidence proves refereeing influence in their favor.