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The football world was left stunned by the remarkable press conference held this week by Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, which featured paranoid outbursts, sexist remarks, clashes with reporters and pointed accusations directed at Barcelona. Hansi Flick, however, remains unfazed.
As Real Madrid continues to unravel over recent months, Pérez appears increasingly unsettled.
Barcelona, who were crowned La Liga champions last weekend after beating Real Madrid in El Clásico, was just one target of his frustration. "We won nothing this year, but I've only won seven Champions Leagues and seven La Ligas. And I could have won 14 [La Ligas], but the other [seven] were taken from me. So how could I not be furious? The Negreira case is the greatest scandal in the history of football."
Real Madrid, according to Pérez, are pushing for "sporting sanctions" against Barcelona and are currently compiling a "dossier" to submit to UEFA. In response, the Blaugrana's legal team is "carefully reviewing his statements and allegations" and considering "the appropriate next steps."
Speaking following Barcelona's loss to Alavés on Wednesday evening — his first media appearance since Pérez's explosive outburst — German manager Flick chose to say very little.
"It doesn't deserve a response," he said when a journalist pushed him for his thoughts on the Real Madrid president's allegations, brushing off the subject and looking around the room for the next question.
When Will the Negreira Case End?
The Negreira case revolves around payments totalling €8.4 million made by Barcelona between 2001 and 2018 to companies connected to José María Enríquez Negreira, who during that time served as vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees under Spain's football federation.
Barcelona do not dispute making the payments, but maintain that Negreira was hired solely as an external consultant providing technical analysis on refereeing matters.
Charges of bribing a public official were dropped by a court in 2024 on the grounds that Negreira does not qualify as one, yet the probe into alleged sporting corruption is ongoing. Earlier this year, outspoken La Liga president Javier Tebas stated it was "clear" that Barcelona did not pay Negreira to sway match outcomes, though he questioned the legitimacy of the payments themselves.
The investigation, which launched in 2023, remains active. In March, a judge extended the inquiry by a further six months, pushing the timeline to September 2026. Ultimately, the outcome will hinge on whether evidence of corruption can be established, or whether the case is dismissed as a peculiar and ill-conceived consultancy arrangement.
As of now, no verdict or sanctions have been issued.