The Negreira case enters its final stretch after Gerard López confirmed to the Justice system that he used the arbitration reports linked to José María Enríquez Negreira during his time as coach of FC Barcelona’s reserve team. The former footballer, who led Barça B between 2015 and 2018, appeared this Friday, 13 November, before Instruction Court number 1 in Barcelona, where he argued that those documents were useful for knowing how the referees behaved and preparing the matches. His testimony, along with that of former delegate Toni Alonso, brings to an end the planned witness statements in an investigation that has been ongoing since March 2023.
The main consequence of these appearances is procedural. Judge Alejandra Gil is close to bringing the investigation to a close and must decide whether there is sufficient evidence to continue toward a trial or whether the case should be archived. Before adopting that decision, the court awaits economic documentation related to Barcelona and other pending investigative steps. The proceedings investigate the millions of euros in payments that different Barça leadership groups made over the years to the then vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) and to companies linked to his circle.
Gerard López defends the usefulness of Barça B’s arbitration reports
During his testimony, Gerard López confirmed that the reserve team received and used reports on the referees who were going to officiate their matches. According to the judicial sources consulted by Agencia EFE, the former coach explained that these documents made it possible to anticipate the criteria of the officials, such as their tendency to show cards or the way they interacted with the players.
The coach justified their usefulness based on the characteristics of the lower categories, in which the referees had less public exposure and it was more difficult to obtain information about their previous performances. The reports, prepared by Javier Enríquez Romero, the son of José María Enríquez Negreira, offered references that the coaching staff could incorporate into match preparation. López also highlighted that they were complete and updated documents, with recent information about the referees.
His version was supported by Toni Alonso, who served as delegate of the branch for 32 years and he also testified before the examining magistrate. Alonso argued that the reports formed part of the information services that the club’s coaches received and explained that each technician decided whether or not to use them.
The importance of these statements lies in the fact that they confirm a specific use of the documents in Barça B, one of the issues that have been examined during the investigation. However, this testimony alone does not prove that all payments made during the years being investigated were justified, nor does it resolve the question of whether any illicit purpose existed.
The difference with Luis Enrique and Valverde: none used the reports
The statements by Gerard López and Toni Alonso contrast with those given by Luis Enrique Martínez and Ernesto Valverde in December 2025. Both former head coaches of the first team assured the court that they did not know about or use the arbitration reports linked to Negreira to prepare Barcelona’s matches.
The two coaches also indicated that, during their respective periods in charge of the team, they never had the perception that the referees had favored the blaugrana side. Their testimonies raised doubts about the use of those services in the first team, although they did not rule out that other departments or categories of the club received them.
López’s statement precisely introduces that difference. That the reports were not used by Luis Enrique or Valverde does not necessarily mean that they lacked usefulness for the reserve team, where the resources for studying referees were different. Similarly, that Gerard López used them does not automatically establish the legality of all the disbursements made by Barcelona.
That is one of the central aspects of the procedure: to determine which services were actually provided, what amounts were paid for them, and whether any relationship existed between the disbursements and the position that Negreira held in the arbitration body. The investigation must examine the set of transactions, beyond the particular experience of each coach.
What documents are missing before closing the investigation in the Negreira case
With the latest testimonial statements carried out, the investigation is practically concluded, but it has not yet been formally closed. As reported by El País, El Español and Cadena SER, the court is pending receipt of a series of economic documents from FC Barcelona requested by Real Madrid, which has appeared in the proceedings.
These are audits and reports prepared between 2010 and 2021 by firms such as KPMG, PwC, Deloitte and Kroll, commissioned by different blaugrana directives to examine the club’s economic management. Real Madrid considers that this documentation could contain relevant information about payments to companies linked to Negreira.
The judge initially rejected the request, considering that the documents were not necessary for the investigation. However, the Provincial Court of Barcelona partially upheld Real Madrid’s appeal and ordered that the documentation be incorporated. For its part, Barça has argued that these reports include sensitive financial information about the functioning of the entity.
El Español also points out that certain actions related to the Agencia Tributaria and the medical situation of José María Enríquez Negreira remain pending. The latter issue is especially relevant because a forensic report has raised doubts about his ability to face a criminal process. The magistrate will have to assess the procedural consequences of his state of health, without that automatically determining the future of the other individuals under investigation.
What Justice is investigating: Barcelona’s payments to Negreira
The judicial proceedings began in March 2023 and examine the payments made by FC Barcelona to José María Enríquez Negreira and to companies in his circle between 2001 and 2018. The amounts under investigation total approximately 8.4 million euros over that period, according to information from Agencia EFE.
The main issue is to determine whether those payments responded exclusively to real advisory services related to arbitration or whether, on the contrary, they sought to obtain some kind of influence or preferential treatment related to the position that Negreira held as vice president of the CTA.
Barcelona has defended since the beginning that it hired technical analysis services on referees and has denied having paid to alter sports results. In the face of that position, the investigation has examined the possible existence of crimes of sports corruption, unfair administration, document falsification, and other conduct related to the destination and justification of the funds.
Among those investigated are the former presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, as well as former officials of the entity, including Òscar Grau and Albert Soler. The possible responsibility of the club itself and of the people linked to the companies that received the payments is also being investigated.
The existence of reports and their use by a coach is an element that the Justice system will have to assess, but it does not, by itself, allow concluding that the payments were lawful or unlawful. To determine any possible criminal liability, it will be necessary to examine the economic documentation, the context of the contracts, and the evidence relating to the purpose of the transactions.
When it will be known whether the Negreira case reaches trial
Once the latest investigative actions are incorporated, Judge Alejandra Gil will have to decide whether to consider the investigation concluded and whether there are sufficient indications of a crime to continue the procedure. From that moment, the corresponding procedural phase would be opened, in which the prosecutors would have to specify their claims and the possible crimes attributed to each person investigated.
The process can end through different routes. If the magistrate considers that there are not sufficient indications, she could order the dismissal of the case. If she finds reasons to continue, the procedure would move forward to the phase of charges and, eventually, to the opening of the oral trial. Concluding the investigation, therefore, does not mean automatically putting the persons investigated in the dock.
According to Cadena SER, the decision could come in early 2027, a forecast conditioned on the receipt of the latest documents and the analysis of the outstanding issues. In addition, the judge will have to determine which people remain subject to the procedure and for what possible crimes.
Real Madrid and the Public Prosecutor’s Office had requested extending the investigation by another six months, but the magistrate rejected that extension in September, which has helped to speed up the conclusion of the investigative actions.
After more than three years of investigation, the statements by Gerard López and Toni Alonso leave a concrete conclusion: referee reports existed and, at least in Barça B, they were used to prepare matches. What Justice still has to determine is whether that activity explains the payments being investigated or whether there is sufficient evidence of criminal conduct.
The answer will determine whether the Negreira case moves into a new judicial phase or whether it ends up being filed, in whole or in part, without going to trial.