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Exactly one month after Barcelona threatened legal action against Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, the Catalan club confirmed they have taken the first formal steps toward filing a slander lawsuit against him.
Pérez stirred up the already heated rivalry between the two clubs during his widely-watched emergency press conference on May 12, when he once again accused the reigning Spanish champions of bribing former vice president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) refereeing committee, José María Enríquez Negreira.
Barcelona were swift to respond at the time, stating their legal team was "carefully examining [Pérez's] declarations and accusations." The club has now released an official statement confirming they are actively pursuing legal proceedings.
"Barcelona informs that, on this day, the mandatory conciliation claim prior to the filing of a criminal complaint for an offense of slander under Article 205 of the Penal Code has been submitted against the President of Real Madrid, Mr. Florentino Pérez, as a result of the statements made by him at the press conference held on 12 May and in an interview with a media outlet the following day," Barcelona announced.
"The purpose of this claim is for Mr. Pérez to retract certain statements that he made with knowledge of their falsity and which are slanderous and offensive to the image and reputation of the Club.
"Should this claim not be duly addressed, FC Barcelona will proceed with the filing of the corresponding criminal complaint."
What Did Pérez Say to Prompt a Potential Lawsuit?
Somewhat ironically, Pérez's comments were nothing new — he has made similar remarks before regarding the Negreira affair. The Real Madrid president continues to stand firmly behind his allegations against Barcelona, claiming the club paid €8.4 million (£7.3 million, $9.7 million) between 2001 and 2018 to a company linked to Negreira in exchange for favorable refereeing decisions.
Barcelona have consistently denied the corruption charges, maintaining that the payments were solely for refereeing reports and consultancy — not for any preferential treatment during matches. With the investigation still underway, Pérez shows no signs of backing down.
"Three years ago, we learned about a corruption case like the Negreira case," Pérez said. "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.
"I have spoken with [UEFA] 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."
Real Madrid Yet to Respond
Unsurprisingly, Real Madrid have yet to issue any response to Barcelona's statement. It is difficult to envision Pérez publicly walking back his claims, particularly given his ongoing disputes with both Barcelona president Joan Laporta and La Liga.
SI answers is our AI answer engine trained on human-created content.
Pérez also appears to have his attention directed elsewhere. Fresh off winning his re-election bid, he also oversaw the return of José Mourinho to the Spanish capital. The Portuguese tactician has been officially confirmed as Los Blancos' new head coach following two consecutive trophy-less seasons.
It would require a dramatic change in both mindset and character for Pérez to concede ground to Barcelona. Realistically, a full-blown lawsuit appears to be the far more probable outcome.