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, FC Barcelona, Spanish referees, and UEFA. Pérez insisted that the club “will win the next battles” in relation to the Super League. Around 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. In an 80-minute intervention, Pérez criticized LaLiga’s failed plan to hold a regular season match in Miami, attacked the changes in Spanish refereeing as “cosmetic” after the Negreira case, and stated that he was “more convinced than ever” of victory over UEFA in the dispute over the Super League. 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 challenges and compete on equal terms”. In the 2024 assembly, Pérez first hinted at the need for a “corporate reorganization” to protect Madrid’s assets after the battles with LaLiga over the CVC investment deal and television rights revenue.
Pérez continued: “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 when the meeting will be held. In recent years, Pérez has led the club in a series of disputes with football’s 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
Pérez added: “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 Barcelona over the Negreira case, changed his tone due to 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
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
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Pérez added: “We have been recognized the right to create our own competitions. We can also claim multimillion-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 tirelessly.” Pérez stated that the negotiators have worked “untiringly in the last months” to try to reach an agreement with UEFA on the matter, but that it has not been possible.We still 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
