Real Madrid President Florentino Perez has shocked Spanish football by calling elections on Tuesday evening during a press conference called by the club. Perez was confirmed as the President last year until 2029, after running unopposed in the most recent elections.
Perez, 79, has been in charge of the club since 2009, when he overthrew Ramon Calderon, to take charge of his second spell. Prior to that, he was elected to power in 2000, before presenting his resignation in 2006. Over the past season, his leadership has been question in the Spanish capital, but few saw his power as threatened by any challengers.
“Don’t you read the newspapers every day? It’s a conspiracy orchestrated by bad journalists against Real Madrid. In 15 days, or whatever, we’re going to call a meeting.”
Perez explains decision to call elections
Before taking questions, Perez announced that he would be calling elections, and gave his reasons for doing so.
“At Real Madrid, there isn’t just one owner; it’s the 1,000 members who make up the club. I’ve made this decision because an absurd situation has been created, provoked by campaigns against the interests of Real Madrid and against me. The results haven’t been the best, but in sports, you don’t always win. They’re taking advantage of the situation to attack me personally. They say, ‘Where’s Florentino?’ I don’t usually speak.”
“Some have even told me I have terminal cancer… I want to take this opportunity to let those who have been concerned about me know that I’m still president of Real Madrid and my company, and that my health is perfect. I couldn’t be in both places if my health weren’t perfect. If I had cancer, as has been said, I’d have to go to a cancer centre. If I were, wouldn’t it have been all over the world?”
One of the criticisms of Perez has been that he has run unopposed in three of the last four elections, due in part to strict requisites to present a candidacy. That includes guaranteeing 15% of the budget, some €100-150m, and being a Real Madrid member for the past 20 years.
“I’m the first one who wants to win everything. With me as president, we’ve won 37 titles in football and 29 in basketball. I want to talk about all these people who are campaigning behind the scenes. I invite everyone who wants to run. I’m going to run to defend the interests of Real Madrid’s members. They’re not going to intimidate me. They give me a lot of energy.
“I’m calling for elections this year so there will be candidates. That gentleman who talks to the power companies and has a South American accent, let him run. A Mexican accent. They say we’re very bad, that we’re a dictatorship. Let this gentleman we’re talking about run, and anyone else who wants to.”
Florentino Perez takes shots at media reporting
A key theme of Perez’s press conference was his frustration with the media, and calling out ‘fake news’.
“ABC, a newspaper that loves me dearly: ‘Before the Board meeting, Florentino says, ‘I’m very tired.’ But do you think I say this before going in? David Sanchez de Castro, are you here? I’d like to say hello, to see why you published that. I get up early in the morning and go to bed last in the class; I work like an animal.”
“There are groups that want to run Real Madrid, but they haven’t succeeded. Journalists and their colleagues don’t run Real Madrid. People don’t believe them; they believe me. Journalists think they influence the club’s decisions because they’re important, and that’s not the case. The members are in charge here. They shouldn’t do anything shady. Whoever wants to run, let them run. But they shouldn’t go behind my back saying I’m tired. I can’t accept that just because we haven’t won La Liga and the Champions League this year. They say Real Madrid is in chaos now, and yet it’s the most prestigious club in the world.”
Perez frequently defended his record as president against criticism, even referencing the Transfermarkt value of the Real Madrid squad, which is dictated in part by online poll.
“It’s the club with the most titles in the history of the world. The most valuable club according to Forbes. The most valuable brand. Why do journalists who criticise the most prestigious club with the most fans in the world want to interfere? It’s an asset for everyone. I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been voted the best president in history. We have the highest-rated squad according to Transfermarkt. We have it all.”
“I’m going to unsubscribe from ABC” – Perez
The focus of most of Perez’s attacks was media company Vocento, who owned online media outlet Relevo that was a presence in Spanish football for three years and last summer closed down. The same company owns paper ABC.
“It’s an organised campaign. Vocento owns ABC and created Relevo. According to LaLiga, they set about producing a digital newspaper that lost €25m during its existence. When LaLiga stopped paying, they went to Telefonica and then to Telecinco to see if they would pay. Their sole aim was to attack Real Madrid and its president, Florentino Perez. Nobody bought it, nobody bought it, and it caused a fight here.
“My father always read ABC and subscribed me many years ago. I wanted to honour my father, but now I’ve decided to cancel my ABC subscription. My father will be grateful. How can ABC do that?”
“I’m announcing that I’m canceling my ABC subscription to honour my father. You [Ruben Canizares] go after Real Madrid every day. Look at the two articles you wrote today. One of them was written by a woman who I don’t know if she knows anything about football or not.”
“Nobody should expect me to sit idly by, that I’m tired, according to ABC. ABC is a Madrid newspaper, and Real Madrid is the club of the world. I’m mentioning ABC because I’m angry about this, but I could say the same about others.”
The Real Madrid President is head of construction conglomerate ACS, one of the most profitable in Spain.
“I preside over a very important company in the world, with a turnover of €50b and 170,000 employees. Why is ABC doing this? Did they see me tired here? Starting tomorrow, I’m going to fight with all the members so they don’t take ownership away from us. Where did I come from that I have cancer? And I didn’t even know… If they want me to leave, I’ll leave when someone like now comes along and beats me in the elections. If they beat me in the elections, thank God. The club belongs to the members, not to a few journalists who I suppose are Atletico Madrid fans.”
‘I don’t understand the press, I’ll put an end to anti-Madridista sentiment’
The majority of the press conference was taken up by questions that Perez was asked by the media, which he responded with accusations of trumped up campaigns againt his leadership in a bid to see him ousted.
“I don’t understand the Spanish press. They’ve overused the ‘let’s see if I leave’ mentality. I’m not going to leave. I’ll be the last member to leave. The members are the owners of Real Madrid. If someone wants to run for president, they shouldn’t just threaten, they should actually run and explain how they’ll finance it. They shouldn’t be asking the banks if the president of an electricity company can guarantee their candidacy… In 2000, I guaranteed 174 million pesetas so they could get paid. The players weren’t being paid. The players weren’t getting paid, and Bodo Ilgner’s wife came to ask me for money as soon as she arrived. Roberto Carlos, who’s still around, too… I had to contribute that money from my own pocket, and today Real Madrid is in a very healthy financial position.”
“Some say the stadium started at €600m and ended up costing €1.3b, and that’s not true. The €600m was from the first contract for the roof; later we built the hypogeum and did the stadium’s decoration. I want to put an end to this anti-Madrid sentiment that has taken hold in the newspapers. I’m calling elections to defend the members. Some, from a journalistic standpoint, and others from a different one, want to take over Real Madrid. I’ve been here for 26 years and I’m not going to allow it.”
In addition to ABC’s Canizares, Perez also fumed at former Diario AS Editors Santi Segurola and Alfredo Relaño, revealing a special nickname for them.
“I’ve been watching what they’re doing in the media, the Segurolas, the Relaños, who think they invented football. We call them ‘the intellectuals of the regime.’ We’re the best team in the world, why do I have to put up with them saying that Real Madrid is in chaos… And whoever wants to run, let them run. I have enough money to run the club without any shady dealings.”
“If five journalists agree that this is chaos and I don’t come out to defend it… I don’t want money from Real Madrid, nor any interest or prominence. I lead a discreet life. I know I haven’t defended much. 66 titles… I’ll try to improve on that.”
Real Madrid’s ownership situation
Perez also briefly addressed Real Madrid’s ownership situation, after promising a referendum on the matter. He has proposed selling 5% of the club, and converting the members into shareholders.
“I want to hand over Real Madrid’s assets to the members. If it’s worth €100b, then €100k per person. I’ve come here so that the members can be the financial owners of the club, and I won’t leave until I achieve that. The members vote for me, not journalists or the Ultras Sur.”
This will be Perez’s seventh elections for the Real Madrid presidency, and as things stand, there is no clear opposition to him. If Perez’s timeline holds, elections will take place before the end of the month. Los Blancos play their final Liga game of the season on the 23rd of May at home to Athletic Club.
