Overview
- Barcelona lodged the mandatory conciliation request on Friday, June 12, seeking a public retraction of statements Florentino Pérez made in a May 12 press conference and a follow-up interview.
- Pérez had said Barcelona had “benefited” from the Negreira payments and implied La Liga titles were effectively taken from Real Madrid, remarks the club calls false and damaging to its reputation.
- The conciliation step is required by Article 205 of Spain’s Penal Code and must be exhausted before Barcelona can file a criminal slander suit if no retraction is given.
- UEFA has said it will not act on the dossier Real Madrid submitted seeking sanctions until Spain’s prosecutors or courts reach a definitive ruling, limiting immediate sporting consequences.
- The dispute centers on roughly €7 million Barcelona paid to José María Enríquez Negreira for referee reports from 2001–2018, a matter still under Spanish investigation that is deepening institutional and political tensions between the clubs.