After more than three years before the courts: the date for the verdict in the Negreira case revealed

Exclusive sources revealed the details to the newspaper

A press report on Thursday revealed the expected timeline for concluding the Negreira case, which has been before the Spanish courts for more than three years.

This week, the judge in the Negreira case rejected Real Madrid's request to extend the investigation by another six months. The club wanted more time to gather evidence on indicators of the alleged sporting corruption, but the judge deemed it unnecessary and ruled the current investigation period sufficient.

According to the newspaper "Marca", the remaining hearings, such as Gerard Lopez's testimony next November, will go ahead, and that is all. Real Madrid can appeal the decision before the Regional Court, but every indication points to the investigation being definitively closed. So what next?

Everything is now heading towards the trial and the verdict the entire football world has awaited for three and a half years.

All pending procedures and appeals should be resolved before the end of this year. Both parties will then present their closing arguments, the prosecution first and the defence after. With that, the investigation shuts.

If necessary, the case will move to the Criminal Court, and here things could drag. It all depends on the competent court, and some carry a far greater backlog than others.

Even so, the trial date will most likely land in the autumn of 2027. Anything sooner looks extremely difficult.

Should the trial start in October or November, it will run between one and two weeks. That could deliver a verdict in the Negreira case before the end of 2027.

Timings for the whole process, from now until the verdict, vary by several factors. But legal sources consulted by "Marca" suggest this is the likely timeframe for a ruling by the end of next year.