Real Madrid president explodes in a press conference, attacking rivals and the press, while Barcelona responds: "It's pathetic."
Barcelona's reaction was immediate through vice-president Yuste, who declared: "This is simply a smokescreen to cover up the sporting disaster of recent years."
“The emperor is naked,” is the metaphor used by El Mundo and El Periódico to best describe Florentino Pérez’s shocking press conference. The historical context makes this event even more poignant: the Real president had not held such a press conference since 2015. The meeting, announced just two hours before kickoff, was characterized by momentum and fury.
For 64 minutes, Florentino stood alone on stage, a chair, a microphone and a bottle of water, articulating thousands of words, not all of which made sense. He repeated the same concepts dozens of times: the refusal to address sporting issues, the new coach, the poor results and the “Mbappé case”. His image has left Spain in a state of shock. While in Barcelona they are laughing at this poor performance, in Madrid there is despair and concern, given that Pérez is one of the most powerful entrepreneurs in the country, with his company ACS employing 170,000 people.
Inappropriate expressions and personal attacks
During his speech, Pérez did not spare himself in insulting comments. Regarding an opinion piece in the ABC newspaper, he said: “It was written by a woman who knows nothing about football.” Then, addressing a professional player, he added: “Let’s ask this lady a question, because the rest of you are ugly.” He also attacked his potential rival for the presidency, Enrique Riquelme, describing him as “a guy with a Mexican accent who wants to take over the club.” It should be noted that elections at the club have not been held since 2006, as the statutory requirements (20 years of membership and a financial guarantee of 185 million euros from personal assets) are almost impossible for others to meet.
The accusations against Barcelona and the “Negreira” case
Pérez directly attacked his former Superliga partner, Joan Laporta, regarding the “Negreira” affair: “It is the biggest corruption scandal in the history of football. We have a 500-page file ready for UEFA. Since 2000, we have won seven Champions League titles, but only seven Spanish championships, because seven others stole them from us.” He added that this year, the referees have deducted 18 points from Real.
