The latest legal chapter in the long-running rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona has concluded in Spain. A court has officially rejected Real Madrid’s request for access to Barcelona’s financial documents covering the period from 2003 to 2021.

The move was made by Real as part of the ongoing Negreira case — the corruption scandal surrounding Spanish refereeing and alleged financial involvement by the Catalan club.

Real Madrid had sought full access to audit reports, expert assessments and more than 600 documents linked to the case, arguing they were relevant to the proceedings.

However, former Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu, one of the defendants in the case, formally asked a Barcelona court two weeks ago to deny the request, citing corporate confidentiality. The court ruled in his favour, bringing this particular legal dispute to a close.