Florentino Pérez lashes out at LaLiga, Barcelona and UEFA
In a combative speech during Real Madrid’s annual general assembly, Florentino Pérez, the club’s president, directed strong criticism towards Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, Barcelona, Spanish referees, and UEFA. Pérez insisted that the club “will win the next battles” in relation to the Super League. Approximately 1500 representatives of Madrid’s 98,000 members participated in Sunday’s meeting at the Valdebebas sports city, where the annual accounts were approved and questions were asked to the board of directors. In an 80-minute intervention, Pérez questioned LaLiga’s failed plan to hold a regular season match in Miami, attacked the changes in Spanish refereeing, calling them “cosmetic” after the Negreira case, and stated that he was “more convinced than ever” of victory over UEFA in the Super League dispute. Pérez also confirmed that an extraordinary assembly will be held to vote on the proposals for “reforms to the club’s statutes, so that Madrid is better equipped to face the challenges and compete on equal terms”. In the 2024 assembly, Pérez had already hinted at the need for a “corporate reorganization” to protect Madrid’s assets, following battles with LaLiga over the CVC investment agreement and television rights revenue.
Dennis Agyeman / AFP7 via Getty Images
“We will remain a club of members, but we would create a subsidiary, owned by the members. We will allow 5% for a partner, if someone is willing to invest a significant amount, for a symbolic participation. Those investors must always respect our values.” Pérez did not specify the date of the meeting. In recent years, Pérez has led the club in a series of disputes with football governing bodies over the future of the sport.“We will call a referendum so that all members can vote. The only objective is to protect the club from threats to our assets… I am going to propose that we be recognized as the true owners of the club”.
Florentino Pérez
“Real Madrid has to lead the battle. Real Madrid is the only sports club that has the institutional strength and wealth to face this battle… Real Madrid has nothing to fear from these executives, neither in Spain nor in Europe.” “They can’t pressure us with threats of punishment. Unfortunately, this is not the case for most clubs. Not many are brave enough to speak up… But we are not alone.” Pérez, who had previously been cautious in his criticism of his rival, Barcelona, over the Negreira case, has changed his tone after Barça’s reconciliation with LaLiga and the abandonment of the Super League project.“I heard someone say that Real Madrid is against everything, but obviously that’s not true. There are many things that are wrong. We have to react”.
Florentino Pérez
Last month, Madrid announced it would seek compensation from UEFA for its Super League blockade, after the Court of Justice of the European Union and a Madrid court determined that UEFA had breached EU competition law.“It is not normal for Barcelona to have paid more than 8 million euros to the vice president of the referees [Negreira] for 17 years. That coincided with the best results in the history of Barcelona”.
Florentino Pérez
“We have been recognized the right to create our own competitions. We can also claim multi-million dollar damages for UEFA’s conduct. We have two rights: to be compensated for our losses and to organize a competition in the future, and we will pursue both relentlessly.” Pérez indicated that the negotiators had worked “tirelessly in recent months” to try to reach an agreement with UEFA on the matter, but that it had not been possible.“We continue to insist that [the Super League] is an essential project for football. With the historic ruling of the European Court and two additional rulings from the Madrid court, the situation is very different.”
Florentino Pérez
