What if Barcelona were not the only team paying Negreira?

The 'justification' of the ex-presidents of FC Barcelona, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, for the 'Negreira Case' is that "we were paying in self-defence'', according to El Mundo.

The newspaper reports that it has spoken to the people close to the former Barça presidents, who say they concealed the payments to others "to protect them" as they were convinced, according to the information, that there was a tendency to favour Real Madrid in the arbitration system.

In this sense, the same source indicates that "the former presidents' also insists that payments such as those made to Negreira have been made by other teams in the First and Second Division."

They complain that they are only taking action against Barça for conduct which, they maintain without providing evidence, is widespread in Spanish football.

The information also refers to a meeting in 2004 between Joan Laporta, who had been president for a year, and Joan Gaspart, his predecessor, at the Avenida Palace hotel in Barcelona.

"They talked for hours and spoke about the need not to lose weight in the Federation, where Negreira was vice-president of the CTA. That same year, in 2004, Gaspart was appointed vice-president of institutional and international affairs of the Federation," recalls 'El Mundo

Thus, the question arises whether Barça are the only Spanish team that paid Enríquez Negreira. 

In fact, according to a report by El Periodico, part of the Prensa Ibérica group, Girona also hired a company whose representative was José María Enríquez Negreira, son of the former vice-president of the Referees Committee, to do coaching work between 2010 and 2011.

During the first season, his company, Soccercam S.L., was paid a monthly fee of 3,000 euros plus VAT, as well as travel expenses and various bonuses, for this coaching work. That season, Girona finished 11th in the Spanish Second Division. At the end of that first contract, signed until 30 June 2011, Negreira doubled his salary to 6,000 euros plus VAT for a second spell at the club. On Nov. 5, however, he was informed of his dismissal by letter.

The company of the former vice-president of the referees sued the Girona club. Initially, the 2nd Court of First Instance of Girona upheld the claim in full and ordered Girona to pay compensation of 63,700 euros for the early termination of the contract, in an amount corresponding to the remaining months of the contract.

However, in a subsequent proceeding before the Provincial Court of Girona, the judge found that Girona only owed him what he had left unpaid, 7,080 euros (including VAT) for the October salary and another 1,180 euros for the payment of five days in November

According to the source contacted by El Mundo, there could be different professional teams in Spain that have hired Negreira, and not only Barcelona.