Rosell admits knowing Negreira as Barcelona scandal deepens

Former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has told investigators he knew Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira and even saw him working at Camp Nou, providing refereeing advice to the club.

Rosell’s testimony, given last September and published this week by journalist Ramon Alvarez de Mon, comes as the long-running ‘Negreira affair’ continues to dominate headlines in Spain.

Conflicting accounts

In recent days, current president Joan Laporta, along with former coaches Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde, denied receiving or requesting refereeing reports. Laporta insisted payments continued because the service remained active.

Rosell’s account, however, aligns more closely with Laporta’s explanation. He confirmed that he met Negreira in 2003, when Laporta’s first board took office, and recalled seeing him at the training ground and stadium.

“I met Mr Negreira in 2003, when we joined Mr Laporta’s first board,” Rosell told judge Alejandra Gil. “Someone introduced him to me as the person providing the club’s refereeing advice. From 2003 to 2005, I saw him occasionally at the stadium producing his reports and advising the club.”

Rosell added that much of the work was carried out remotely. “I believe he often didn’t come in person because if you’re providing refereeing advice, it’s best to do it via television. That way, you can watch replays and be more precise.”

Payments and contracts

Questions have centred on why payments to Negreira increased during Laporta’s tenure. Rosell explained that after resigning in 2005, he no longer saw Negreira but later learned his services had expanded, possibly due to Barcelona B’s promotion to Spain’s second tier.

“When we won the elections in 2010, we inherited this contract for refereeing advice, along with about 100 other contracts – covering everything from pitch maintenance to player diets, tax advice, player scouting,” Rosell said. “We had suppliers in various sectors, and these contracts simply continued.”

Wider context

Rosell, who served as Barcelona president between 2010 and 2014, was himself held in pre-trial detention between 2017 and 2019 on tax fraud charges before being acquitted and compensated.

The Negreira case has reignited debate over Barcelona’s relationship with refereeing officials and the transparency of payments made during successive presidencies.

With Laporta, Rosell and former coaches now offering differing accounts, the investigation continues to cast a shadow over the club’s recent history.