Real Madrid To Support Corruption Charges Against Barcelona Over Payments To Referees' Official

Real Madrid will support the complaint filed against FC Barcelona relating to alleged corruption over payments to a former boss of referees.

Real Madrid released a statement on Sunday to make it known that the club will join the complaint filed by Spanish prosecutors against FC Barcelona.

Barcelona are facing charges of corruption relating to payments the club made to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, who is the former vice-president of Spanish  soccer's refereeing committee.

The prosecution alleges that between 2001 and 2018 Barca paid €8.4m to Enriquez Negreira via his company, Dasnil 95, in return for favorable decisions by referees during matches.

Spanish prosecutors confirmed on Friday that they have filed corruption charges against FC Barcelona and the club's former presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu :: IMAGO/Jose Breton

Barca claim that they simply paid an external consultant to supply them with "technical reports related to professional refereeing", something they argue is "a common practice among professional football clubs".

But a court heard on Friday that Barca have been indicted for "corruption", "breach of trust" and "false business records".

Two days later, Real Madrid issued a statement to express that they will support the charges and intend to "defend their interests" once proceedings are opened.

Official Announcement. #RealMadrid

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 12, 2023

The statement read in full: "In their meeting held today, the Real Madrid C.F. Board of Directors have inspected the serious accusations brought by the Barcelona Prosecution Service against F.C. Barcelona, two of its former presidents, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, and executives Albert Soler and Oscar Grau, on the basis of alleged offenses of corruption in sports, among others, all related to the relationship the club maintained with the former Vice-President of the Technical Referees' Committee (CTA), Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.

"Real Madrid wishes to express its utmost concern regarding the gravity of the facts and reiterates its confidence in the legal system. The club has agreed that, in defence of its legitimate rights, it will appear at the trial when the judge opens it up to the affected parties."