The Negreira case, in which FC Barcelona is accused of bribing referees, has seen new developments regarding Real Madrid's request to extend the investigation by six months.
The Negreira case concerns payments made by Barcelona totaling 7.3 million euros to José María Enríquez Negreira, former vice-president of the Referees' Committee, and his son Javier, between 2001 and 2018.
On July 14, Real Madrid requested an extension of the investigation, arguing that the Civil Guard's probe had uncovered strong evidence and indications of an ongoing crime related to sports corruption.
According to the Spanish newspaper "Marca," the judge handling the Negreira case rejected Real Madrid's request for a six-month extension, despite support for the motion from the public prosecutor's office.
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The newspaper clarified that the investigation has not been definitively closed, as two testimonies are scheduled to be heard next November.
The report indicates that the judge believes the existence of these two scheduled testimonies—concerning Gerard López, a former player and coach of Barcelona B, and the team delegate Antonio—does not necessitate extending the investigation period, since their dates were set before the end of the last extension on September 1.
The judge also rejected extending the investigation while awaiting the Barcelona Court's decision on additional investigative procedures requested by Real Madrid but previously denied by her. She explained that if the court later approves Real Madrid's request, those procedures would not become invalid merely because they are carried out after the investigation period ends.