FC Barcelona has announced it is pursuing a lawsuit against Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, accusing him of slander over remarks tied to the long-running Negreira scandal. The club says it will escalate to a criminal complaint if Pérez refuses to retract what Barcelona calls false statements.

The dispute centers on comments Pérez made alleging that Barcelona effectively “robbed” La Liga titles by influencing refereeing decisions during the so-called Negreira era. Barcelona’s vice president, Rafa Yuste, confirmed the club’s intent to pursue legal action around June 10, 2026. He made clear that Barcelona’s legal team is actively examining Pérez’s statements for potential defamation claims, and that a criminal complaint remains on the table if a retraction doesn’t materialize.

Yuste had previously hinted at this kind of escalation during Senate appearances before Pérez’s re-election.

José María Enríquez Negreira served as vice president of Spain’s referee committee. Barcelona paid him millions of euros between 2001 and 2018. The club maintains these payments were for legitimate services, specifically scouting reports and referee performance assessments. Spanish authorities have not ruled out a darker interpretation, and the investigation into possible corruption remains ongoing. No final judicial ruling has settled the question of whether the payments constituted bribery or garden-variety professional consulting.

Pérez was recently re-elected as Real Madrid president. His comments about Barcelona and the Negreira case came from a position of institutional authority. Yuste’s response signals something broader about Barcelona’s institutional posture, as the club has spent years on the defensive over the Negreira payments, facing media scrutiny, regulatory investigations, and rival fans chanting about corruption. Filing a lawsuit against Pérez flips the narrative, with Barcelona positioned as the plaintiff rather than the defendant.