Florentino Pérez: "We are going to call elections, and I will run with this Board of Directors to defend the interests of the members.”

Florentino Pérez addressed the media in the press room of the Ciudad Real Madrid following the meeting of the Board of Directors. The president began his speech by announcing the call for elections: “Thank you all for attending. I regret to inform you that I will not resign; instead, I have asked the Board to initiate the electoral process for the elections to the Board of Directors, in which the current Board of Directors will participate.”

“Why am I calling for elections? For a simple reason. Since the year 2000, I have worked to ensure that the owners of Real Madrid are its members, unlike what happens in other clubs. At Real Madrid, there is no single owner; it belongs to the 100,000 members who form and are part of Real Madrid.”

Reasons for the decision
“I have made this decision because an absurd situation has been created, driven by campaigns aimed at generating a current of opinion against the interests of Real Madrid, and especially against me. They take advantage of the fact that we have had results that were not the best, but this is something we accept because in sports, you don't always win. This has happened to us many times before, but they exploit these situations to attack me personally.”

“They say: 'Where is Florentino?'. Normally, I don't speak. They say I am sick and have terminal cancer. I would like to reassure those concerned about me that every day I continue to preside over Real Madrid and my company, which, I remind you, is a world leader in infrastructure, with 170,000 employees and an annual turnover of 50 billion. My health is perfect because I couldn't manage both roles without being in perfect health. I don't know where this rumor came from.”

"If they claim I have cancer, I would have to go to an oncology center for treatment. Do you think that if this were true, it wouldn't have been reported worldwide? It is not true. They made it up and decided that I am tired. I work tirelessly. I am the first to wake up and the last to go to bed.”

66 titles as president

“I share the frustration that this year we haven't been able to win anything. I am the first to want to win it all. Let me remind you that under my presidency, we have won 66 titles in football and basketball: 37 in football and 29 in basketball, including 7 European Cups in football and 3 European Cups in basketball.”

Media Campaigns
“I want to talk about all those I believe are behind this campaign and claim there are people working in the shadows to run for the presidency. Well, let them come forward. This is the opportunity I give them. I am going to call elections, and this Board of Directors will stand, and I invite anyone who wishes to run to take the opportunity, as I will be running to defend the interests of Real Madrid members, not those of some journalists who think that by causing harm and creating confusion, they can intimidate me. On the contrary, they give me more strength.” “There are sectors that want to control Real Madrid and haven't succeeded because it's governed by its members, not journalists, colleagues of theirs, who say things that people believe. People believe me. Some journalists think they influence the club's decisions because they consider themselves very important. I ran in the year 2000, and I know this story well. It started with José María García, and then others followed. Here at Real Madrid, the members are in charge as long as I am here. Let them not do strange things. If someone wants to run, let them do so. They have the chance to debate with me and show what they want to do. Not go behind the scenes with journalists saying I look tired. Maybe it's because I work a lot, not because I'm lying in bed.”

ABC
“If they say I have cancer, which is the rumor going around, I should enter an oncology center and get checked. Do you think if that were true, it wouldn't have been reported worldwide? It's not true. They've made it up and decided I look tired. I'll tell you what I just received before coming here. ABC, a newspaper that loves me very much: 'Before the Real Madrid Board of Directors meeting, Florentino says to a close circle that he is tired, raising alarms.' Thank you very much. I don't know this gentleman. How can they say this? His name is David Sánchez de Castro. Who have I spoken with? ABC constantly publishes such news. I work like an animal. I'm up first and go to bed last. And I’m sorry because I have a sentimental connection here—my father always read ABC and subscribed me to it many years ago. I wanted to honor my father, but now I've decided to cancel my subscription to ABC. My father will thank me. How can ABC do this?”

“I have to speak out because, as president of Real Madrid, I cannot allow people in the media to take control just because we didn’t win a League or a Champions this year. They’ve already forgotten that two years ago I won a League and a Champions. Now they’re saying Madrid is in ruins, chaos… But it’s the most prestigious club in the world, and everyone recognizes that.”

Negreira Case
“Three years ago, we learned about a corruption case like the Negreira case. There is no precedent in the history of world football. It is the greatest scandal in history and a case that remains unresolved and is still ongoing. It’s incomprehensible that we’re still seeing referees from that era in a competition like the League. It lasted two decades of payments. They are the same referees, and we are preparing an important dossier that we will immediately present to UEFA to address and resolve the Negreira case for the good of world football.”

The Club with the Best Record
“I want to remind you, in case anyone has forgotten, that this is the club with the greatest record in football history and the leader in all the most important rankings. It is the most valuable club according to Forbes, the club with the highest revenue according to Deloitte, the most valuable football brand according to Brand Finance, and the club with the highest reputation in the world according to the World Sports Association. Why do journalists want to target the most prestigious, most valued club with the most followers in the world? It’s an asset for everyone and a treasure of football.”

“It is also the most valuable squad in the world according to Transfermarkt. We have everything, and I feel embarrassed to say that I have been chosen as the best president in history. Why do they want to destroy me? Because some kids say they want to run? Let them run; I’d like them all to run. I want to convey to them that the owners of Real Madrid are the members, which is why I ran 26 years ago. We have achieved what no one has achieved in football history. Now they want to destroy us because we didn’t beat Barcelona the other day. No. It’s an organized campaign.”

Relevo
“I have to tell you something. ABC is part of Vocento. It created Relevo, which, in agreement with LaLiga, dedicated itself to creating a digital newspaper that lost 25 million during its existence. 25 million paid by LaLiga and others. Then it started looking, and when LaLiga no longer paid, it went to Telefónica to see if they would pay. Then it went to Telecinco to see if El Desmarque would buy it. The sole purpose of Relevo was to target Real Madrid and Florentino Pérez. How can ABC create a digital newspaper called Relevo, which no one bought? And people make up stories because they think what they write is read by everyone. No one bought it, and it lost 25 million.”

The Members, Owners of the Club
“I talk to people in the football world in Europe and worldwide, and they don’t understand the Spanish press. They’ve tried to get me to leave. I’m not going to leave. I will be the last Real Madrid member to leave, and I will defend the Madrid members, who are the owners. The owner is not you when you write or the other person when they write. The owners of Madrid are the members. And if someone wants to run for election, as some people say they will, let them not hesitate—let them run. They have the opportunity. And let them say how they will finance it and not go asking banks if the president of an electricity company can guarantee the candidacy. The candidacy states how it must be guaranteed, and it is with the assets of those running, as I did in the year 2000. At that time, I guaranteed 170-something million so salaries could be paid to Roberto Carlos or Illgner back then.”

“I want to put an end to this anti-Madridista sentiment that has taken hold in some sectors. We are going to call elections, and I will tell the members that I have to do this to defend them, as they are the owners. There are people, some from a journalistic standpoint and others from a different perspective, who want to take over Madrid. They are not going to take it over. I have been here for 26 years, and we have made the club the greatest in the world.”

Financially sound club
“Ask Roberto Carlos, who is still around. Bodo Illgner, as soon as he arrived, his wife came because he hadn’t been paid for a long time. But it wasn’t just him; even the corner shop hadn’t been paid, and I had to contribute money from my own assets to regularize the situation. Today, thank God, Real Madrid is in a very solid financial position, although some people say, for example, that the stadium started at 600 million and ended up at 1.3 billion. That’s not true. The first contract for the Bernabéu was for the roof, and that cost 600 million. After that, we built the underground facilities, which cost nearly 400 million. Then we had the third tender, which was for the stadium's decoration and seating. That’s why it ended up costing 1.2 or 1.3 billion. But to cause harm, they say it started at 600 and ended at 1.3 billion. When someone builds a house, they first do the structure and pay for it. Then they do something else and pay for that. I know a lot about this, but it doesn’t matter to me. I’m saying this to clarify it so they don’t say it again.”

Sectors in Opposition
“I am running because there are sectors that have tried to take over the club. One is the journalistic sector, which has orchestrated a conspiracy to claim that Madrid is in chaos. Then there are the Madrid ultras; some of them are still around and gather near a movement that I’m not sure if it’s called amber. They will never enter Madrid again. We expelled them, and I am congratulated worldwide for it. People always tell me they wish all teams did what Madrid did, getting rid of ultras and violent individuals."

"There are also ticket scalpers, and I need to remove them as well. This year, we have already expelled 1,600 members of Madrid. We removed them for reselling season tickets. How can a member profit by cheating in Madrid? And, of course, we always have LaLiga as our enemy. I fight against everyone, and for now, as I don't need anything, I support Madrid in every way I can and am very happy.”

Refereeing System
“There is also the systemic corruption of the Negreira case. That we have to listen to the Referees Committee saying these are things we should forget… How can we forget if we are compiling a 500-page dossier that I will send to UEFA as soon as the competition ends? I have spoken with them because there is no precedent in the history of world football. How can I forget the biggest corruption case in football history? I fight against everyone. I first fought with the Super League. And they say it came to nothing. No, it came to everything because we first won at the Court of Justice of the European Union, and we have gone to UEFA to say that we want to negotiate. What we achieved with the CJUE is good. For example, free football and allowing children in Africa to watch football. Why shouldn’t they be able to watch it for free? Like the Club World Cup held in the United States. UEFA has realized this, and now we are progressing in a very beautiful process to make football even more global.”

Defending Madrid
“I am going to defend Madrid before my members. And I will do so during this campaign we will undertake as soon as we call the elections. No one should expect me to sit idly by or be worn out. ABC is a Madrid-based newspaper, and Madrid is the club of the world. Why does it insist on going against Real Madrid? I mention ABC because I am currently upset about this, but I could name others as well.”

“We have had the Board of Directors meeting, and starting tomorrow, I will begin fighting alongside all the members to ensure that we do not lose ownership due to the media or the worst sectors of Madrid. It has taken me a lot of effort to restore Madrid financially and in other aspects.”

Illness
“Where does this idea that I have cancer come from? Friends have called me, saying it’s terminal, and I didn’t even know… Do you think it’s normal, this rumor that has been spreading? If people want me to leave, I will leave when someone comes along and beats me in the elections. I will always run to defend the fact that the ownership belongs to the members. I suppose these rumors come from Atlético fans or supporters of another team, but a professional is a professional, and I am astonished. I suppose starting tomorrow, there will be even more of this.”

Questions from journalists
After his statement, the president responded to journalists' questions: “I’m not going to talk about coaches or players. I’m here to say that I’m running to return Real Madrid’s heritage to its members. This is not a team with one, two, or three owners who are taking it away, based on what I see every day. These journalists who say what they want just want me to leave. I’m here to say that not only am I not leaving, but I’m also running in the elections because I want to defend Madrid’s ownership by its members—nothing more.”

Mourinho
“I didn’t think you’d ask me about that. We’re not at that stage; we’re at the stage of ensuring that Madrid belongs to its members. I’ve been here for 26 years, and there’s never been a more glorious Madrid.”

Have you identified mistakes this season?
“We’ll conduct an analysis because we have to fight against so much. For example, tell Juanma Castaño, if he’s from COPE, to have a little consideration for the greatest club in history as well.”

Criticism
“I have a lot of patience because I’ve been here for many years, but I came in when José María García was around. Then came the Segurolas, the Carreños… I’m telling you this so you can talk to your boss. In LaLiga assemblies, we ask how much money is given to journalists to attack Madrid. Is Madrid so big that it generates so much animosity? The 100,000 members of Madrid are very powerful and are with me in this fight I’m leading against the Negreira referees. Because it’s not just Madrid that’s harmed and Barça that’s benefited—although Barça is always benefited. Other teams have also been harmed. UEFA has allowed us to send the entire dossier, and we have it perfectly prepared.”

Candidates for the elections
“That gentleman who talks around with the electric companies... I want him to come forward and run with his people and let’s talk about football. But not behind the scenes. I don’t want that. I want to call these elections so he can run, and I’m running to raise the flag that the club belongs to the members and not to three journalists. One year, I fired three coaches, and it’s not the first time two players have fought. I’ve been here 26 years, and players have fought almost every season, but it doesn’t have more significance. What’s happening here is that someone has told this story for the first time, and they’ve told it to the bad guys’ camp. But we also know who wrote it down.”

Are you absent?
“When we win a La Liga, we celebrate it, but I’m not the protagonist of the sporting side. I’m the president and don’t usually speak. I’m not one to talk. Sometimes I have to speak in the Assembly, but that’s it. Why should I speak? Because we lose one or two games? It hasn’t even been two years since we won the Champions League and La Liga.”

 

Disclaimer: Translation generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies.