Florentino Pérez Demands Accountability in Negreira Case, Criticizes Spanish Football Leadership
Florentino Pérez, president of Real Madrid, launched a scathing critique of the state of Spanish football, focusing heavily on the ongoing controversy surrounding payments made to former refereeing official José María Enríquez Negreira. he questioned how the “Negreira case” could be forgotten, asserting that the situation continues to impact the league’s integrity.
Pérez stated that Real Madrid is the only club to have formally appeared in proceedings related to the case,highlighting that Barcelona maintained “million-dollar payments for 17 years to the vice president of the referees.” He emphasized the length of this period, noting it “coincidentally coincides with Barcelona’s best results in our country.” He questioned the justification for these payments, stating, “It is indeed not normal that Barcelona has paid the vice president of referees, who had crucial functions, more than 8 million euros for at least 17 years, whatever the reason.”
He further criticized the continued presence of referees implicated in the case, stating, “The reality is that the majority of the referees in the ‘Negreira case’ are still there.” Pérez also took issue with calls to “turn the page” on the matter,questioning,”Who is going to forget it?”
Beyond the Negreira case,Pérez also criticized the overall level of Spanish arbitration,stating it was “not normal” and expressing disappointment that FIFA did not select any Spanish field referees for the recent Club World Cup. He also accused LaLiga of allocating budget to media outlets “born with the objective of harming Real madrid,” specifically citing Relevo, and doing so in an “opaque manner.” He also condemned the CVC deal,calling it “not normal” and alleging it has financially benefited LaLiga president Javier Tebas at the expense of the clubs.
