Barcelona have officially initiated preliminary legal proceedings against Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, following controversial comments he made about the club’s involvement in the ongoing “Negreira case”.
The Catalan club confirmed on Friday that it has filed a mandatory conciliation request as a first step before potentially pursuing a criminal defamation complaint, after Perez’s remarks during a press conference and a subsequent media interview in May.
Perez had referred to the long-running investigation into payments made by Barcelona to former Spanish refereeing committee vice-president Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira between 2001 and 2018—amounting to more than €7 million—as “the greatest scandal in history.” He also claimed the case remains unresolved and suggested Barcelona had consistently benefited from it.
In its statement, Barcelona said it is demanding a retraction of what it describes as false and damaging statements made knowingly by Perez, arguing they harm the club’s image and reputation. The club added that if the request is not addressed appropriately, it will proceed with filing a criminal defamation lawsuit.
