Real Madrid News
Judge rejects Real Madrid’s six-month extension request in Barcelona Negreira case
The investigation into Barcelona’s payments to former Technical Committee of Referees vice-president Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira has taken another turn after the judge overseeing the case rejected Real Madrid’s request for a further six-month extension.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the request, which was also supported by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, has been dismissed by the judge at Barcelona’s Investigating Court No. 1.
The outlet mentions that the preliminary investigation was due to expire on September 1, but the case has not been formally closed.
This is because two witness testimonies are still scheduled for November, meaning the judicial process will continue despite the refusal to extend the investigation period.
Those witnesses are former Barcelona player and reserve-team coach Gerard Lopez and the club’s former reserve-team delegate, Antonio A.
The ruling indicates that the judge does not consider the scheduled November hearings sufficient reason to extend the preliminary investigation.
Why Negreira investigation will not be extended
Notably, the case centres on the €7.3 million Barcelona paid between 2001 and 2018 to Negreira and his son, Javier Enriquez.
Real Madrid had asked the court to prolong the investigation by another six months, arguing that the work carried out during the preliminary phase justified keeping the proceedings open.
However, the judge disagreed.
According to the ruling, the two November witness hearings had already been scheduled before the previous extension expired.
As a result, the court does not believe the investigation needs to be extended simply to accommodate those testimonies.
She reasons that, even if the Provincial Court ultimately sides with Real Madrid, the investigative proceedings would not automatically become invalid simply because they were carried out after the preliminary investigation period had expired.
Real Madrid argued there was sufficient evidence
Real Madrid’s request for another extension was not based on the desire to keep the Negreira case open.
On July 14, the club argued that the Civil Guard’s investigation had produced substantial findings during the preliminary phase.
Real Madrid described the evidence as “more than sufficient direct and circumstantial evidence of the commission of a continuing offence of corruption in sport.”
The club therefore believed another six months were necessary to allow the investigation to continue and further proceedings to take place.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office supported that request, but the judge ultimately rejected it.
The legal process is not over yet
Notably, that does not mean the allegations have been resolved.
While the rejection is certainly a setback for Real Madrid’s attempt to extend the preliminary investigation, it would be inaccurate to describe the Negreira case as finished.
The November witness hearings involving Gerard Lopez and Antonio A. remain pending, while the Barcelona Provincial Court still has to make a decision regarding investigative proceedings requested by Real Madrid.
The judge’s ruling simply establishes that those developments do not require the preliminary investigation itself to be extended beyond its existing deadline.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid set to pocket €4 million from the sale of academy talent to Premier League club
Alvaro Arbeloa’s move to Fulham after his stint as the Real Madrid manager has resulted in the Premier League side heavily targeting Los Blancos’ youth players.
After all, Arbeloa has worked with all of Castilla’s young talents in the past and is the best candidate to bring them to the big stage.
So far this summer, the former Real Madrid coach has already swooped away Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios from Real Madrid.
Manuel Angel is England-bound
And as already confirmed, Fulham are close to a third acquisition from La Fabrica. Indeed, Real Madrid’s young academy talent Manuel Angel is close to making his move to Fulham official.
According to journalist Jose Luis Sanchez, the English side are set to pay Los Blancos a sum of €4 million for the player’s transfer and will only be purchasing 50% of his rights.
Real Madrid, unsurprisingly, will continue to retain the remaining 50% of his rights as has been their policy with many youth player sales in recent times.
Further, the report also confirms that Real Madrid will retain the right of first refusal over any of the player’s future transfer from Fulham, effectively handing them complete control over his future.
Already in England
As reported earlier today, Angel is already in London and has already undergone his medical tests ahead of the move being finalised.
Given that Real Madrid have already sanctioned the player’s travel to England, it is clear and beyond doubt that the move will go through this summer. In fact, an official announcement can be expected as early as the coming hours.
Angel was the captain of Real Madrid Castilla last season and has always been seen as one of the academy’s highest-rated players. He had several offers from Spain this summer, but opted to move to England likely on Arbeloa’s request.
Real Madrid, for their part, will hope that the player flourishes in the Premier League so that they can make a sizeable profit on any future transfer.
A return, after all, looks unlikely given the competition in midfield in Jose Mourinho’s squad.
