The first day of testimonies in the long-awaited Caso Negreira trial unfolded on Thursday, with Barcelona and two of its former presidents, Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, facing allegations of sporting corruption. At the heart of the case are €7.5 million in payments made over 17 years to Dasnil 95, a company owned by former Referees Committee vice-president José María Enríquez Negreira. Both Negreira and the club stand accused.
The proceedings began with testimony from Javier Enríquez Romero, Negreira’s son, who produced over 600 reports on referees for Barça during that period. He insisted the payments were not bribes in exchange for influence but legitimate fees for his work. He further claimed that the reports were passed to the late Josep Contreras, a former Barcelona director, who allegedly took a hefty 45% commission before delivering them to the club.
Bartomeu: “I inherited the contract”
Bartomeu, who served as Barcelona president from 2014 to 2020, acknowledged knowing about the referee consultancy but said he was unaware that Negreira himself was behind the company. He testified that he only discovered Javier Enríquez’s involvement in 2013 through a casual conversation.
Despite the controversy, Bartomeu argued the consultancy was useful, pointing to more than 600 reports and 50 DVDs produced over the years. He said the contract was terminated in 2018 purely due to budget cutbacks, not misconduct. He also claimed Javier Enríquez provided similar reports to other clubs at comparable prices.
Rosell: “We had Messi and the best team in the world”
Sandro Rosell, president between 2010 and 2014, struck a defiant tone in court. He dismissed the idea that Barcelona needed to buy referees, pointing out that the club had Lionel Messi, Gerard Piqué, and “the best team in the world winning in Spain and Europe” at the time.
Rosell also echoed Bartomeu’s line that the consultancy contract was inherited from earlier administrations and argued that the sums involved made bribery implausible. “With €250 per report, how can you buy someone?” he asked, according to Sport.
The trial is far from over. Negreira’s wife, Ana Paula Rufas, declined to testify, though investigators continue to probe unexplained income streams of over €3 million in her accounts between 1992 and 2003. High-profile figures including former managers Ernesto Valverde and Luis Enrique, as well as current Barcelona president Joan Laporta, are expected to give evidence in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, on the pitch, 16-year-old star Lamine Yamal spent nearly four hours at Ciutat Esportiva on Thursday working with physiotherapists to accelerate his recovery from injury — a reminder that, despite the courtroom drama, football goes on at Barcelona.
