FC Barcelona/Corruption legal case: "Real Madrid will appear at the trial as affected party"

"Real Madrid CF (LaLiga Santander) wishes to express its utmost concern regarding the gravity of the facts and reiterates its confidence in the legal system. The club has agreed that, in defence of its legitimate rights, it will appear at the trial when the judge opens it up to the affected parties," announced the Spanish club on 12/03/2023.

The statement, the first from Real Madrid on the matter, comes as the National Prosecutor's Office announced that it would be filing a lawsuit against FC Barcelona and former club officials, including ex-president Josep Maria Bartomeu, for "sporting corruption, breach of trust and forgery" on 10/03/2023. The case is based on payments made by the club - at least €7m between 2001 and 2018 - to the company DASNIL 95 SL, owned by José Maria Enríquez Negreira, who was vice-president of the Spanish Technical Arbitration Committee (CTA) at the time.

In addition to Josep Maria Bartomeu, president of FC Barcelona from 2014 to 2020, Sandro Rosell, who managed the club between 2010 and 2014, as well as Albert Soler and Óscar Grau, who were members of the…