Real Madrid president Florentino Perez held a press conference on Tuesday where he firmly dismissed calls for his resignation and announced plans to call for elections amid heavy criticism following a second consecutive trophyless season. The club’s disastrous campaign has left Perez under fire, and he dedicated much of his address to attacking the media for what he called unfair treatment of the team.
Perez singled out specific journalists, saying, “I’ve been watching what they do in the media — people like Segurola and Relaño, who think they invented football. We call them the system’s intellectuals. We are the best team in the world, so why should I put up with them saying Real Madrid is in chaos? Anyone who wants to run for election can do so. I have enough money to run the club without any shady dealings.”
He added, “I want to hand over the club’s assets to the members. If the club is worth 100 billion euros, that means 100,000 euros per member. I came here to make members the financial owners, and I won’t leave until that’s achieved. I’m elected by the members, not by journalists or the ‘Ultras Sur’.”
Addressing fans’ biggest fear, Perez stated, “Losing ownership. If five journalists agree this is chaos and I don’t defend it… I don’t want money from Real Madrid, nor any advantage or prestige. I live a quiet life. I know I haven’t defended enough — 66 titles. I’ll try to improve that number.”
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Perez also delivered a harsh message to the supporters: “I have a lot of self-criticism for the members. Real Madrid members should not criticize their own players or boo them — they should support them. There are rotten apples inside the club too, and we’ve identified them since we expelled the Ultras Sur. It hurts me when they boo a player for a bad game. They should be there to help them. What is this? A Roman circus or what?”
He continued, “If Real Madrid plays badly, they can boo as they like. But there’s instigation of angry people due to poor performance to boo. If it’s about our players, it’s like booing our own children. All this is influenced by the ultras and the Ambar movement, who cause chaos for Thursday’s match. Let them chant ‘Florentino, resign’. Let them go to elections and challenge me, which they’ve never done. I do what’s best for Real Madrid; I must defend the club, and that’s what my father taught me since childhood.”
Returning to the media, Perez said, “I don’t want to tell you what they’ve done and what they’ve asked from Real Madrid players. Journalists think they have a lot of power, but they have none because people
