According to a report by ABC, Florentino Perez has announced that he will call for elections for the positions of Real Madrid president and board of directors. During a press conference that can only be described as surreal, Perez turned his focus toward attacking the media, specifically targeting ABC and the Vocento group, accusing them of conspiring against him and the club.
The main announcement of the press conference came as Real Madrid faces a second consecutive season without a title, plunging into a period of sporting and institutional crisis unseen in years. The 79-year-old Madrid entrepreneur aims to secure his eighth term, more than 26 years after first taking charge of the club.
This election announcement comes just a year and a half after he was appointed president until 2029, when he was once again the sole candidate. Since 2004, Perez has faced no rivals. He previously defeated Lorenzo Sanz and Baldasano by a large margin. After resigning in 2006, he returned in 2009, again unopposed, and the same happened in 2013, 2017, and 2021.
Perez’s primary justification for calling new elections is to “defend the members,” stating the need to end the anti-Real Madrid sentiment that has formed. After sitting down, he first clarified that he would not resign, as rumors of his possible resignation had circulated following the announcement of an emergency press conference after a board meeting.
In 2006, Perez left the presidency for the first time under similar circumstances, but this time his plan is different. At the press conference held at Valdebebas, Perez said: “I’m not leaving; I’ll be the last to leave. The owners of Real Madrid are the members. If anyone wants to run in the election, don’t just leak rumors—come forward and announce your candidacy. And they must provide a guarantee of over 170 million euros, just as I did back then.”
He then launched a fierce attack on the media, accusing them of orchestrating actions against him and Real Madrid behind the scenes.
Perez stated: “They want to attack me now given the current situation, so I must step in to stop this. I can’t accept that some in the media want to take over the club. Less than two years ago, we won La Liga and the Champions League. Now they say Real Madrid is in ruins, in chaos. I’ve seen this conspiracy in the media for years, but they can’t deal with me. We are the best team in the world—why should I tolerate being told we’re in chaos?”
ABC and its staff were directly named by Perez. During the one-hour-and-five-minute press conference, he spent about 15 minutes attacking the newspaper. He strongly criticized a report citing sources close to him that mentioned his fatigue. “I may be a bit tired from traveling around, but not from football. Do you think I look tired?” he said.
He pulled out his phone to search for the article and named two journalists. First, David Sánchez de Castro, to whom Perez said: “Is he here? I want to say hello and ask him why he wrote that. I get up early every day, go to bed last, and work like an animal.” Then he named Rubén Cañizares, a long-time Real Madrid reporter who was also present at Valdebebas. Perez attacked again, saying: “Look at the two articles they published today.” He then accused them of being “anti-Real Madrid.”
Perez added: “I’m sorry, because my father used to read ABC, and many years ago he subscribed to it for me. But now I’ve decided to cancel my subscription to ABC, as a tribute to my father. I’m sure he would thank me. How could ABC do this?” He returned to these points multiple times.
In addition to attacking ABC, Perez persistently complained about those questioning his health.
“They even said I have a terminal illness… but I haven’t even seen a doctor. A friend even told me he knew a place in China where terminal illnesses are treated best. I replied: ‘Look, I don’t even want to insult your father…’”
In fact, Perez held nothing back during the press conference. Despite multiple attempts by Real Madrid’s communications team to end the event, he did not mind dragging it out. He even personally decided the order of questions, boasting: “I’m free all afternoon.”
In a speech filled with shifting topics, Perez also threw out a line: “I’m going to get rid of all the bad guys.”
He used the press conference to begin promoting his candidacy. “I’ll run with renewed enthusiasm. I want to remind everyone that during my tenure, Real Madrid’s football and basketball teams have won 66 titles, including seven Champions League titles for the football team.”
Perez repeated: “I’m going to get rid of all the bad guys.” He divided these “bad guys” into internal and external. The external ones are clearly the media. As for internal, Perez said: “Ticket scalpers and extremist fans want to control the club, but the members need normal people. We’ve already expelled 1,600 members for reselling season tickets. How can a member profit by cheating Real Madrid?”
The election date has not yet been set.
During the election process, Perez can continue to perform his duties until a new president takes office. It will not be easy for other candidates to emerge. Real Madrid’s statutes, Article 36 and subsequent clauses, outline the conditions for membership candidates. First, candidates must have 20 years of membership. Then, they must provide a bank guarantee equivalent to 15% of the club’s budget for the previous season, which exceeded €1.2 billion. That means any candidate must secure nearly €200 million in guarantees along with their candidate team. The team must have at least nine people. They have only 10 days from the election call to find this money. The statutes clearly state that the election committee can request any information to ensure the guarantee is not based on assets from people outside the candidate team.
On this issue, Perez was particularly tough. He repeatedly encouraged potential opponents to take the step. “I hope those who have been floating rumors about running but never actually do it will come forward this time. I have enough money to run this club; I don’t need to engage in any strange activities. I want to end this anti-Real Madrid sentiment. We will call for elections, and I’m doing this to protect the interests of the members. There are people who want to take over Real Madrid. I also want to say to those hiding in the shadows behind this campaign: come out and run. Now is your chance. I will run and continue to defend Real Madrid’s interests.”
Finally, Perez reiterated his position in even stronger terms. “They will have to shoot me to get rid of me, because I have the support of all Real Madrid members.”
