UEFA considers that there are sufficient grounds for a potential violation of their regulations by Barcelona. Therefore, they consider that there is a case and proceed to open a file to carry out an investigation into the Negreira case.
In accordance with Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, inspectors have been appointed to carry out an investigation into a potential violation of UEFA’s legal framework by Barcelona in connection with the so-called ‘Negreira Case’.
Going forward
The Negreira case continues progressing. The investigation that is being carried out in Spain at all levels, has already been officially joined by UEFA, which, after collecting data on what was happening with the Royal Spanish Football Federation itself, has taken a step forward, as it considers it necessary to open a file before what can be considered “violation of competition rules by Barcelona“.
In any UEFA sanctioning process, in this case a file, the turn to collect information, hear allegations and then issue a ruling is opened. It will not take long for the matter to be delayed, especially given its social relevance, but the regulatory deadlines must be met, which can take between four and five weeks.
It should be noted that this case opened by UEFA has been brought forward in time, and it has nothing to do with the formalization of the registration of the Catalan club and the rest of the teams in European competitions for next season, since this process does not open until June 1.
UEFA has considered that it should open the door to the investigation and, if necessary, apply the regulations and not wait for the actual process of the competition to which all teams that qualify on sporting merit must adhere. All of them must comply strictly with the precepts set by the European body, but that never happens before June 1.
As far as the rules of the competition itself are concerned, UEFA reserves the right to exclude teams from its competitions without an administrative ruling. In this case, we are always talking about one season, but the path taken by UEFA refers to its statutes and not to that of the competition, so the landscape is even more open.
