Oliva breaks silence: reveals Negreira's huge power in Spanish refereeing

Former referee Pedro Tristante Oliva has after years of silence spoken openly about José María Enríquez Negreira, claiming that the Spanish man had much more influence over referee appointments than was later explained. He reveals details surrounding a decisive match in 2004 and the financial transactions that later came to light.

In February 2004 Oliva was the whistle at the duel between Real and Madrid and Valencia. In the 91st minute he awarded Real a penalty after Carlos Marchena had brought the opponent Raúl to the ground in the penalty area. The decision caused huge controversy; at the end of that season Oliva was demoted and decided to end his career.

Two days after the match Oliva had to undergo the physical tests for Spanish referees. During those tests he overheard a conversation between Negreira and then‑commission chairman Victoriano Sánchez Arminio. “They told me to stay calm and to take the tests,” he says, after which he heard Negreira say: “This is what you get when a computer appoints the referees. We have to stop that.”

Negreira's influence within the commission

Oliva states that Negreira possessed far more power than was later claimed. According to him Negreira determined in ninety percent of cases which referee group a referee ended up in and gave the assessments. He calls the so‑called “corrupt factor” an instrument with which the commission could, at its own discretion, raise or lower careers, and warns that anyone who protested was removed.

Oliva gives a concrete example: after he was demoted to the third level, Negreira would have personally evaluated him at a Barcelona C match. Shortly thereafter Oliva was assigned three play‑off matches and was promoted back, which, according to him, proves that Negreira had the power to decide promotions and demotions.

Financial payments and judicial investigation

Oliva was stunned when he learned that Barcelona had paid a total of €8.4 million over seventeen years to companies of Negreira. The Negreira case revolves around those payments between 2001 and 2018; Barcelona claims the money was intended for technical reports and advice on referees. The justice system is investigating whether the club tried to use those payments to influence arbitration.

Oliva says he is willing to testify about his experiences if he is called as a witness in the trial, and emphasizes that, in his view, many people have been disadvantaged to justify those revenues.