Shock for Real Madrid: Spanish official drops a bombshell, the Negreira case has lapsed by statute of limitations
Miguel Galán, president of the National Training Centre for Football Coaches in Spain, has played down the latest move by the European body in the Negreira case after it received the documents sent by Real Madrid.
Sport newspaper published Galán's comments, in which he confirmed that receiving the documents does not mean the file has been reopened.
Real Madrid submitted a file running to around 500 pages. In their statement, they called for the immediate reactivation of the disciplinary proceedings UEFA had previously begun.
According to Galán, the European body is simply confirming receipt of the material and indicating that its inspectors will assess it within the ongoing investigation. No new charge has been announced and no decision taken on the substance of the case.
Barcelona themselves stressed that UEFA's investigation began in 2023 and was never closed, Galán explained, so in his view the document Real Madrid submitted represents no reactivation of the investigation whatsoever.
His analysis centres on the legal time limits. In Spain, he recalls, Article 80 of Law 10/1990 set the limitation period for very serious offences at three years. That leads him to conclude the case has lapsed by prescription with regard to the facts covered by this system.
At European level, Galán believes that "no evidence has been established of match-fixing, fraud, bribery or corruption". The exception whereby such acts are not subject to prescription therefore cannot be applied under UEFA's disciplinary regulations.
On that basis, he confirms the general five-year period is the one that applies. It has elapsed without measures being taken to properly interrupt the limitation period, so the disciplinary case has also lapsed by prescription at UEFA level.
Galán concludes: "The mere receipt of the documents does not prove any of those acts, nor does it in itself allow prescription to be overcome. Therefore, the case must be declared concluded when that is required."
