Real Madrid have called on UEFA to handle the Negreira case with the “utmost urgency” after European football’s governing body confirmed that it had received a substantial volume of documents submitted by the Spanish giants concerning Barcelona.

UEFA said on Thursday that its Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors had received the latest documents from Real Madrid and would assess them as part of their ongoing review of the case.

Reacting to the development, Real Madrid said the material contained evidence relating to what the club considers serious issues concerning the integrity of football competitions and confidence in the refereeing system.

“Real Madrid C.F. considers it essential that, now that UEFA has this documentation, the investigation proceeds with the utmost urgency until its full conclusion,” the club said in a statement.

The club added that it would continue cooperating with UEFA and pursuing actions it considers necessary to clarify matters it believes are inconsistent with the principles of integrity, transparency and fair play.

The latest development is another significant step in a case that has followed Barcelona for several years and centres on payments made by the club to companies linked to José María Enríquez Negreira, a former vice-president of Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees.

The controversy became public after investigations revealed that Barcelona had made payments to companies connected to Negreira over a prolonged period.

Barcelona have maintained that the payments were for technical reports, refereeing analysis and consultancy services, and have denied that they were made to influence referees or the outcome of matches.

Real Madrid, however, have continued to argue that the matter deserves scrutiny from football’s governing bodies because of Negreira’s position within the Spanish refereeing structure.

Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez said in May that the club was preparing a dossier for UEFA, describing the case as unresolved and saying the club wanted the European body to address it.

The Madrid club formally submitted a statement to UEFA in June, asking its disciplinary bodies to resume proceedings previously initiated over the matter. In that submission, Real Madrid said it had provided evidence that, in its view, reinforced concerns about the payments and their potential implications for the integrity of competitions.

UEFA had already opened an investigation into Barcelona in 2023 over a possible breach of its regulations in connection with the Negreira case.

The latest documents therefore do not represent the beginning of the controversy, but rather an attempt by Real Madrid to add further material to UEFA’s examination of the matter.

UEFA’s confirmation that it has received the dossier does not amount to a finding that Barcelona committed sporting or disciplinary violations.

The European body said its inspectors would assess the new material as part of their review, meaning any eventual disciplinary action would depend on the findings of the competent UEFA authorities.

Reports have suggested that Real Madrid want serious sporting consequences for Barcelona if UEFA ultimately establishes violations, including possible sanctions affecting the club’s participation in European competitions. Those remain demands attributed to Real Madrid rather than decisions already taken by UEFA.

For Barcelona, the case remains a long-running legal and sporting controversy. The club has consistently rejected the suggestion that the payments were intended to manipulate refereeing decisions.

The significance of the latest development, therefore, lies in the fact that Real Madrid have now placed additional documentation before UEFA while continuing to press for the matter to be dealt with at European level.

With UEFA’s inspectors set to assess the submitted material, attention will now turn to whether the latest dossier leads to further disciplinary steps against Barcelona or simply becomes part of the existing review.