On Tuesday, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez held a press conference that drew sharp criticism from COBE radio host Manolo Lama, who described the event as “pathetic.”
“I have never in my life seen a press conference as sad as today’s,” Lama said, launching a blistering attack on the Real Madrid president. “All the good things Florentino has done in the past are now being destroyed by himself.”
According to Lama, the president appeared “completely lost” and unable to “string together a coherent sentence,” comparing the entire performance to a comedy show. “I went to the theater to see a comedy, and I didn’t laugh as much as I did today,” he added, warning that the image projected by the press conference was harming the club. “If people around the world see this, they simply won’t understand this press conference.”
Florentino Pérez held the press conference after a board meeting, during which he also announced the upcoming club presidential election and confirmed his candidacy. He began with a defiant tone, attempting to quell speculation about his resignation: “I’m sorry to tell you, but I will not resign.”
He defended his management style and the club’s value, stating, “Real Madrid is the most powerful and valuable brand in the world.” He explained his decision to face the media as a response to criticism: “I had to stop all this. I cannot accept that people in the media have already taken control.” He added, “If anyone wants to run, let them run.”
A central topic of the press conference was the “Negreira case.” Florentino Pérez described it as “the biggest corruption case in football history” and promised that the club would “pursue it to the end.” “We simply cannot imagine that Barcelona paid money to the head of the refereeing committee,” he said, announcing that the club would submit a report to UEFA.
On the issue of refereeing, he launched a scathing attack on the system. “I’ve won seven league titles, but I could have won fourteen, because the others were stolen from me,” he claimed. He accused “the same referees” and said his team had “been robbed of 18 points this season.”
Florentino Pérez also addressed internal club disputes, such as the conflict between Valverde and Tchouaméni, downplaying the incident: “It’s not the first time players have fought among themselves.” However, he expressed anger over the leak of the information: “I think it’s very bad, and even worse that someone exposed it.”
Finally, he sent a message to the media, accusing some journalists of trying to create turmoil. “Some journalists are taking Real Madrid away from its members,” he said. During the Q&A session, he directly addressed COPE reporter Melchor Ruiz: “Tell Juanma Castaño to take care of Real Madrid.”
