Tebas denies LaLiga failed to send UEFA information on the Negreira case in 2023

Javier Tebas has firmly denied that LaLiga failed to pass on information about the Negreira case to UEFA. The league president responded to a report published by the Spanish newspaper El Debate, which claimed that the European governing body had not received a single document from the Spanish government, the Consejo Superior de Deportes, the Spanish Football Federation or LaLiga since the story first emerged 44 months ago.

• Tebas calls the claim of LaLiga inaction false and says dated documents prove otherwise.
• The written submission to UEFA was sent on February 21, 2023, just six days after the case became public.
• The package included a legal report, payment documentation and a dossier of national and international press coverage.
• The LaLiga president points out that other parties took years or months to take action on the matter.

What Tebas says about the written submission sent to UEFA in February 2023

In a message posted on his social media accounts, Tebas addressed the author of the report, Tomás González-Martín, to dispute the article's claims. The LaLiga president argued that what was published about the league's actions does not reflect reality, and that the dates and existing documents contradict that narrative.

According to his account, the Negreira case became public on February 15, 2023. Six days later, on February 21, he sent a written submission to UEFA in his capacity as LaLiga president. The submission was far from a generic communication: it included a legal report, documentation related to the payments and a dossier of national and international press clippings.

The Negreira case and the FC Barcelona payments under judicial scrutiny

The so-called Negreira case revolves around payments FC Barcelona made over several years to José María Enríquez Negreira, a former vice president of the Spanish refereeing committee. The story came to light in February 2023 and has since become one of the most intense institutional controversies in Spanish football, with consequences in the courts, the Spanish Football Federation and international sports bodies.

The El Debate report claimed that UEFA had received no documentation from Spanish institutions during the 44 months since the case emerged. Tebas has focused his response on LaLiga's role, insisting that the league did fulfil its duty to inform European authorities, in contrast to what he sees as a narrative built without checking the facts.

Tebas' response to El Debate and its author

Tomás González-Martín, as far as LALIGA is concerned, what you published in El Debate is false. And the dates and documents prove it.

Tebas' message also criticised the handling of the case by other parties involved. The LaLiga president noted that while the league went to UEFA six days after the story broke, others took years to do so and months to resign from the RFEF board. With that reference, he questions why LaLiga's diligence is being doubted when, in his view, the organisation acted quickly and left a documented trail.

What is at stake for LaLiga in the debate over communication with UEFA

The dispute over whether LaLiga informed UEFA goes beyond a social media exchange. UEFA keeps its own oversight channels open for clubs competing in European competitions, and the Negreira case has been one of the most sensitive issues for Spanish football in recent years. The credibility of institutions when sharing information with European football's governing bodies is a key element in that landscape.

Tebas has made clear that LaLiga did not simply join the criminal proceedings as an interested party. The league went further by contacting UEFA within six days. For the LaLiga president, the content of that package, including a legal report and payment documentation, is proof that the organisation acted decisively from the start.

The history of tensions between Tebas and FC Barcelona over the Negreira case

Since the case came to light, relations between LaLiga and FC Barcelona have gone through periods of friction. Tebas has been one of the most vocal figures in calling for explanations over the payments to Enríquez Negreira, and his position has clashed with the Catalan club on several occasions. His latest response to El Debate fits into that pattern of defending the league's actions.

The next step in this institutional standoff will depend on whether UEFA comments on the documentation it received and whether the case moves forward in the courts. For now, Tebas' version aims to shut down the debate over LaLiga's alleged passivity with a clear statement: the documents exist, they carry dates, and they contradict what was published.

Frequently asked questions about the Negreira case and Tebas' response