Real Madrid

Ramón Calderón resigned as President of Real Madrid in the Press Room of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium at 18:00. All the Members of the Board attended the act and sat in the front row.

"As I said in my previous press conference, I am not a coward and I have nothing to hide. I wish to swear again that the things that have been said in some media about my direct or indirect responsibility with what happened in the last General Assembly are false."

"Against the wishes of all the Members of the Board, I have decided to yield the Presidency. I hope that by handing in my head -highly sought after since the day my office began- I help to pacify a social strata that is permanently agitated by the information that appears in the media on a daily basis and that is divulged and elaborated with absolute disregard to moral ethics."

"I have given my soul and all my strength to Real Madrid these last two and a half years and my hands are clean. I have a clear conscience and I feel proud for having served the most important club in the world. I honestly believe that the success of those who have repeatedly sought my exit of the Club is also the triumph of injustice and evil doing. I have made mistakes as a consecuence to my limitations, but I have never taken part in any irregularities. The mistakes I made never sought personal benefit."

"I wish now to express my gratitude to the Board and to those whose loyalty is hard to emulate. Thanks to them, this Club has won 5 titles in two years: 3 in football and 2 in basketball. The Club's accounts regarding both income and expenditure are the best in its history. I also wish to thank the employees and collaborators I've had these years. They make this entity and myself proud with their efficient work, support and affection."

"I love and feel for this Club with all my heart and I wish to ask our Club Members and fans to stand united in support of the new President. I also wish to ask the fans to support our football and basketball players, who are great professionals that are deeply involved with the Club and their work. I can say the same of two exceptional coaches that make the Club proud. United, the teams and the fans can win all the competitions they are playing in."

"I wish to publicly manifest my unconditional support for all my successors and I renounce any act of obstruction or opposition. Finally, and most importantly, I wish to thank my family, my mother, my brothers and, especially, Teresa, an expectional woman without whom I would have never achieved anything in my life and who has suffered and accepted in silence and with affection all the absences, problems and unpleasantness derived from this position."

"Naturally, I can't forget my children, Leticia, Jaime and Mariana. Not only have they suffered for what's happening to their father, but they have also been permanently harassed and slandered. Their photos and personal details have been used with unscrupulousness. I ask you as a final favour to respect them. They are the most important thing in my life, as for every husband and father, and the decision I've made today has been heavily influenced by the relentless hounding they are subjected to and the suffering it has caused them."

"I leave with my head held high and stressing once again that I have a clear conscience because I have always been true and sought to make good."

"Thank you very much. God bless you."