Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez announced Tuesday that he will call for club presidential elections in the coming days, while dedicating most of a lengthy press conference to denouncing what he called an “organized campaign” against the club.
“I will not resign. I have asked the electoral commission to start the process for board elections, and this board will stand,” he said, stating that the vote would be held “in about two weeks.” The 79-year-old leader spent over an hour launching a direct attack on several Spanish media outlets, naming ABC, Relevo, SER, COPE, and Onda Cero, accusing them of orchestrating a destabilization of the club. “This is a conspiracy orchestrated by bad journalists against Real Madrid,” he insisted.
Pérez firmly denied recent rumors about his health, which had been circulating in the press. “Some say I am sick, that I have terminal cancer. I am in perfect health,” he assured, adding that such a disease would “make headlines around the world” if it were true. He also dismissed any idea of fatigue or an imminent departure: “I will be the last member to leave this club.”
On institutional matters, the president reiterated his desire to transfer the club’s economic ownership to its members. “I want to transfer the assets of Real Madrid to the members. If that means 100 billion euros, then it’s 100,000 euros per person,” he declared, presenting this goal as the main reason for staying at the helm. He challenged his critics to officially run for office rather than act “behind the back” of the management.
Regarding the recent altercation between Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni, which had sparked speculation about internal unrest, Pérez downplayed the incident. “They are two great guys and very good players. They fight every year, like young people do. One hits, the other hits back, and then they become friends,” he explained, adding that “the leak is worse” than the fight itself.
The president also delved into the Negreira case, involving the former vice-president of the referees’ technical committee who was paid by FC Barcelona for nearly two decades. Real Madrid is preparing a 500-page dossier for UEFA, calling it “the biggest corruption scandal in football history.” “UEFA has agreed to send us the full dossier,” Pérez said, claiming that his club had lost “18 points” in the last season alone due to the scandal, and that it cost them seven European titles and seven league championships.
Pérez refused to discuss purely sporting matters. “I will not talk about coaches or players. I am here to give Real Madrid’s assets back to its members,” he justified, postponing such announcements until after the election. When asked about a potential return for José Mourinho, he replied, “We are not at that stage yet.” On the renovation of the Santiago Bernabéu, he disputed the €1.3 billion figure reported by some media. “The €600 million was the initial contract for the roof; then we built the underground tunnel and completed the interior work,” he clarified, defending the club’s financial health, which he said remains the “most valuable” in the world.
