The bitter legal and verbal feud between the reigning Spanish champions FC Barcelona and Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez is heading to a Madrid courtroom on November 25 for a conciliation hearing confirmed by judicial circles on Monday. The upcoming proceeding is a preliminary step ahead of a potential criminal defamation lawsuit against Pérez.
The Negreira Case Remarks Sparking Legal Action
The confrontation stems from public accusations made by the 79-year-old Real Madrid chief back in May regarding the Negreira case. Pérez accused Barcelona of corruption, characterizing the scandal as the “most severe corruption case in football history.” During those statements, Pérez asserted that he could have won twice as many championships if the others had not been stolen from him.
Barcelona Responds With Conciliation Demands
In response to the public claims made by the Real Madrid president, Barcelona formally requested a conciliation hearing in June, demanding a public retraction of the remarks. The club warned that if the hearing fails to produce an agreement, they intend to move forward with a formal criminal defamation complaint against Pérez. The November 25 session in Madrid represents an attempt to resolve the dispute outside of court.
At the Heart of the Dispute: Millions in Referee Payments
The underlying controversy centers on payments totaling up to seven million euros made by Barcelona over multiple years to companies linked to José María Enríquez Negreira, a former vice president of the Spanish referee committee. Spanish investigators are examining whether those financial transactions were intended to exert sporting influence. Barcelona has denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that the funds were paid for referee reports.
Legal Timeline and Next Steps
Judicial authorities in Madrid have scheduled the conciliation meeting for November 25. Should Pérez and Barcelona fail to reach a negotiated settlement during the session, the club could initiate the announced criminal step by filing defamation charges against the Real Madrid president.
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