In an extraordinary press conference on Tuesday, Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez denied any intention to resign, yet announced a new election. He also accused the media of spreading lies and launched sharp attacks on journalists.
Florentino Pérez used the conference to settle scores with the press. From the outset, the Real Madrid president quashed rumors of his resignation, while simultaneously calling for a future election. “There is a campaign against me, but I am still here, and I am the president,” he said, confirming he would convene a meeting within two weeks.
In practice, he will have to step down to test his popularity and possibly be re-elected. “I am running for elections because certain groups have tried to take control of the club and claim that Real Madrid is in complete chaos,” he stated later. “If anyone wants to run for the presidency, they should not just threaten—they should actually do it and explain how they will finance their campaign,” Pérez challenged his opponents.
Pérez, 79, who served as Merengue president from 2000 to 2006 and continuously since 2009, then sought to reassure fans about his health, denouncing false reports about him. “Some say I am sick, that I have terminal cancer. I want to thank everyone who is concerned about me. I am fine,” he clarified.
Distrust of the Media
After these clarifications, the Real Madrid president repeatedly lashed out at the Spanish press. He criticized a journalist from ABC for an article about the club’s crisis—”How can you write that?”—and revealed he had canceled his subscription to the paper. He also accused some media of having the sole purpose of “attacking Real Madrid and its president.”
“Nobody intimidates me. There are groups that want to run Real Madrid, but they have not succeeded. Journalists and their colleagues do not run anything here. People do not believe them; they believe me. Journalists think they influence the club’s decisions because they are important, but that is not the case,” he argued, repeatedly insisting the club was “not in crisis.”
“Not the First Time Two Players Have Argued”
Pérez later declined to discuss sporting matters, the future of coach Álvaro Arbeloa, or Real Madrid players. However, he did address the altercation between Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde. “This is not the first time two players have argued. I find it terrible, and it is even worse that they made it public. I have been here for 26 years, and not a single year has passed without two—or even four—players fighting. But I find it appalling that it is exposed to the public,” he explained.
