Perez announces elections, talks about cancer and players' fight
Reading Time: 4min | Wed. 13.05.26. | 17:05
Real president held one memorable press conference where he attacked the press, the referees and Barcelona
Two bitter seasons are behind Real Madrid CF — no UEFA Champions League title, no La Liga crown, no Copa del Rey triumph... And all of that despite having Kylian Mbappe, Vinícius Junior, and Jude Bellingham in the squad. The turbulence around the club has been greater than ever in recent weeks, and total chaos is reportedly reigning in Valdebebas. Real Madrid president Florentino Perez appeared before the media in a combative mood. In a speech that had been announced as one that would “shake the foundations of Spanish football,” he called new elections, sharply criticized the media, addressed rumors about his health, and sent a message to UEFA regarding the Negreira case.
🚨 Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez let loose in a press conference this afternoon:
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Footballtweet) May 12, 2026
🗣️ “I've won 7 La Liga titles. I should have had 14, but they stole 7 from me!”
🗣️ “This season, refereeing stole 18 points from us!”
🗣️ “I'm going to report Barcelona to UEFA over the… pic.twitter.com/qPCdUOqUgT
To begin with, Florentino announced elections for a new Board of Directors.
“I have asked the electoral committee to begin the process for electing a new Board of Directors, in which we (the current leadership) will run again. At Real Madrid there is no single owner; the owners are the more than 90,000 socios who make up the club. I made this decision because an absurd situation has been created through campaigns against the interests of Real Madrid and against me personally. The results this season were not the best, but in sport you do not always win.”
He then spoke about his health situation.
“They are using this situation to attack me personally. People keep asking: ‘Where is Florentino?’ Well, I usually do not speak very often. Some even went so far as to claim that I have terminal cancer. I want to take this opportunity to tell everyone who was worried about me that I am still leading Real Madrid and my company. My health is perfect. If I had cancer, I would be in an oncology center, and if I were there, wouldn’t that be all over the world’s media?”
He once again emphasized how many trophies he has won during his time as president.
“I share the frustration because this year we won nothing. But let me remind you: with me as president, we have won 66 titles in football and basketball, including seven Champions Leagues. To those behind this campaign, operating from the shadows, I say: present yourselves in the elections! Now you have your chance, and I will run to defend the interests of Real Madrid.”
He also returned to the Negreira case — the judicial and sporting scandal involving payments made by FC Barcelona to companies owned by Jose María Enríquez Negreira, the former vice-president of Spain’s refereeing committee.
“Three years ago we learned that we were facing corruption through the Negreira case. It is the biggest scandal in history. It is incomprehensible that we are still seeing referees from that era officiating in our league. We are preparing a massive 600-page dossier that we will immediately present to UEFA. I will not allow referees to enrich themselves with Barcelona’s money. Barça always profits, but we will see what happens in both the criminal and sporting proceedings.
Perez also confirmed that there had been a physical altercation between Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde, but directed his anger toward the “moles” leaking information from inside the club.
“What happened was bad, but what is even worse is that it became public. I have been president for 26 years, and in every one of those years two or four players have fought. But it stays inside the house! Those who leaked it to the media did so because they are unhappy and believe they will leave the club. They hit each other, and the next day they are friends again. I will not allow this to be used to spread stories about ‘chaos.’ Leaking information from the dressing room is something I am seeing for the first time in 26 years, and it is unacceptable” he said.
LA LIGA - MATCHDAY 36
Tuesday
Celta - Levante 2-3 (1-1)
/Jutglà 48, 4 - Arriaga 43, Fuente 57, Brugue 63/
Betis - Elche 2-1 (1-1)
/Hernandez 9, Fornals 68 - Fort 41/
Osasuna - Atl.Madrid 1-2(0-1)
/Barja 90+1 - Lookman 15(p), Sorloth 71/
Wednesday
20.00: (2.70) Espanyol (3.30) Ath.Bilbao (2.80)
20.00: (2.10) Villareal (3.45) Sevilla (3.50)
22.30: (3.30) Alaves (3.50) Barcelona (2.15)
22.30: (2.25) Getafe (3.20) Mallorca (3.70)
Thursday
20.00: (2.25) Valencia (3.40) Rayo Vallecano (3.20)
21.00: (2.15) Girona (3.45) Sociedad (3.35)
22.30: (1.25) Real Madrid (6.50) Oviedo (10.5)
***odds are subject to change***