ไทย
English
中國人
Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez and Barcelona have both been officially called to appear before a court in the latest development of their ongoing legal dispute.
A court in Madrid has summoned Barcelona and Pérez to attend a conciliatory hearing before a jury on Nov. 25. This appearance marks the next stage in the legal proceedings after Barcelona launched a lawsuit against Pérez for slander and defamation back in June.
"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," Barcelona stated when the lawsuit was first filed.
Barcelona's goal at this hearing is to compel Pérez to withdraw those statements. Should Pérez refuse to retract his remarks or fail to attend the conciliatory hearing, Barcelona are anticipated to proceed with a criminal complaint against the Real Madrid president.
What Florentino Pérez Said to Prompt Barcelona Lawsuit
Pérez held a strange, extraordinary, and now notorious impromptu press conference in early May, during which he addressed a wide range of topics. Naturally, the Negreira case—allegations that Barcelona paid €8.4 million (£7.3 million, $9.7 million) between 2001 and 2018 in bribes to Spain's former refereeing committee vice president José María Enríquez Negreira in exchange for favorable on-field decisions—was among the central subjects of Pérez's outburst.
"Three years ago, we learned about a corruption case like the Negreira case," Pérez told reporters. "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."
Pérez further stated: "I've been here for I don't know how many seasons and I've only won seven Champions Leagues and seven La Liga titles, which should be 14 because they've stolen them from us."
Barcelona swiftly threatened legal action against Pérez following his heated press conference. Once Pérez secured victory in Real Madrid's presidential election in early summer, he made good on his word and submitted a dossier to UEFA seeking to strip the Catalans of their Champions League titles won during the period covered by the Negreira allegations.
Less than a week later, Barcelona responded by filing the slander and defamation lawsuit against Pérez.
Barcelona's Stance on Pérez's Allegations
Barcelona have consistently maintained that the payments connected to the Negreira case were simply made to obtain refereeing reports and advice, firmly denying any wrongdoing or corruption.
Following Pérez's remarks, Barcelona vice president and then acting president Rafael Yuste was quick to respond, dismissing the "pathetic" comments made by the Real Madrid president.
"The words of Florentino seemed pathetic and full of false claims," Yuste said. "This maneuver by Florentino Pérez to cover up a sporting disaster that has lasted for two years will lead him nowhere. It's a smoke screen to try to justify poor sporting management."
When the 2025–26 season concluded, Yuste renewed his attack on Pérez and confirmed Barcelona's intention to pursue legal action.
"We will take legal action against Florentino for resorting to slander to destabilize us," Yuste declared. "The Madrid president has not digested Barça's successes. It's one thing to be jealous and another to be enraged."
"It's one thing to defend yourself with pride and another to go behind the back doing certain things," Yuste added. "You really think he can threaten us saying he's going to send a 5000-page dossier to UEFA? I don't know what this man is thinking."
"Our badge can't be touched. Barça's name won't be smeared by anyone. So we will see each other in court," Yuste concluded.
Pérez Receives Surprise Support From Former Rival
The ever-divisive Pérez finds himself at the center of controversy once again, with Real Madrid struggling after a painful loss to Atlético Madrid that left them six points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona just seven games into the season.
It has been far from a smooth start to the 2026–27 campaign for Los Blancos, yet Pérez's rival in the club's recent presidential election, Enrique Riquelme, has called on all Madridistas to present a united front. This follows reports that Pérez was displeased by Riquelme's attendance at the Madrid derby before the international break.
"I've repeated this many times," Riquelme told COPE. "The elections are over and now we all have to be as one, and all of Madridismo, more so during this time, must be united. No turbulence or unnecessary noise."
"We have to be together as one, and that's how it's going to be from my end," he added, before describing what Barcelona did in the Negreira case as "a catastrophe."
Barcelona host Real Madrid at the Camp Nou on Oct. 25 for the opening El Clásico of the season. Exactly one month later, the second El Clásico of the campaign is set to unfold in a Madrid courtroom, as the legal confrontation between Barça and Los Blancos' president continues to intensify.