Florentino Perez Drops Bombshell: Real Madrid's 'Biggest Concern' Finally Exposed
Despite a challenging run of poor performances, mounting injuries, and speculation about Xabi Alonso's future, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez pointed to Spanish officiating as the source of significant "harm" to the club.
The Whites managed to return to victory in La Liga on Sunday night with a 2–1 triumph against Alavés. However, when the match concluded in Vitoria, contentious issues emerged.
In the final moments of the game, Nahuel Tenaglia made a reckless challenge that brought down Vinicius Junior within the penalty area. What seemed like an obvious penalty was not awarded by referee Víctor García Verdura on the field, and Pablo González Fuertes in the VAR booth did not even request the official to review the incident on the monitor.
The refused penalty kick ultimately did not affect the final outcome, but Pérez seized the moment to restart his campaign against Spanish officials.
"The holiday season is also a period for contemplating matters that trouble us. And in our situation, I can state definitively that Real Madrid's primary worry is the state of officiating in Spain," the 78-year-old declared at the club's traditional Christmas gathering with journalists.
"We encountered a referee in the VAR who made threats to take measures against our organization the day before a Copa final. Can you envision such a scenario in any other nation? And as you witnessed [against Alavés], or in our recent match in Girona, it appears that the fouls suffered by Vinicius or Rodrygo in our last two matches are not considered penalties, this is the officiating innovation of this campaign.
"The honor and fairness of our sport is in jeopardy. The reputation of our football has suffered severe damage. Therefore, justice must prevail because only then can we, collectively, restore Spanish football."
Pérez Revives Negreira Case Allegations
Regarding officiating matters, Pérez seized the chance to bring Barcelona's Negreira scandal back into focus. The Catalan club faces formal charges for allegedly corrupting José María Enríquez Negreira, the former deputy president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation's refereeing committee.
Between 2001–18, Barcelona is accused of transferring a total of €8.4 million (£7.3 million, $9.7 million) to a firm controlled by Negreira. The club rejected any misconduct, stating the payments were for officiating consultation and analysis.
"How can we overlook the greatest controversy in football history worldwide? We never shall," Pérez stated.
"The Negreira affair is certainly the most severe issue in football currently, even on a global scale. As has been documented recently, we now understand that over €8 million was paid for technical analyses on referees, the most costly reports globally, and they were never even disclosed to the coaches themselves, who were supposed to be the beneficiaries of these reports.
"The ramifications of a case that tarnishes the reputation of our sport and emphasizes the necessity for fundamental reform in Spanish refereeing structures remain vivid in our memory."