Barcelona Threaten Legal Action Against Real Madrid After Florentino Perez’s Wild Rant

There is a new chapter in the unrelenting rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Florentino Pérez took aim at just about everyone but his players in an explosive tirade. | Dennis Agyeman/AFP7/Getty Images

Barcelona confirmed their legal department is “carefully examining” accusations Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez made during his head-turning emergency press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

Just two days after Los Blancos suffered a lifeless 2–0 defeat in the final El Clásico of the season, the Spaniard spoke for over an hour in what could only be described as a bizarre tirade, adding another wrinkle to the club’s disastrous end to the season.

Pérez announced new elections, attacked journalists and condemned La Liga and Barcelona for corruption, all while keeping tight-lipped about José Mourinho’s reported return and the chaos that unfolded both on and off the pitch at the biggest club in the world this season.

It seemed like all of Spain tuned in to the unhinged presser, including Barcelona, who issued a swift response.

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Barcelona Release Ominous Legal Threat

Joan Laporta is never one to go down without a fight. | Javier Borrego/Europa Press/Getty Images

The Catalans paused their La Liga title celebrations to address Pérez’s Negreira case accusations, alleging Barcelona bribed former vice president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) refereeing committee José María Enríquez Negreira.

“Regarding the press conference held by the Real Madrid president, Florentino Pérez, we inform that our legal department are carefully examining his declarations and accusations,” Barcelona said in a club statement.

“They are currently being analyzed and the steps to be taken are being assessed. When considered opportune, any positions and decisions that have been adopted will be notified.”

The statement is just the latest development in the ferocious rivalry between the two clubs, spearheaded by their warring presidents Joan Laporta and Pérez.

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What Exactly Did Pérez Say?

Florentino Pérez let it rip on Tuesday. | Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty Images

Pérez bringing up the Negreira case is nothing new. It seems whenever things go wrong for Real Madrid, the president finds some way to remind the public that Barcelona are under investiagtion for allegedly paying a total of €8.4 million (£7.3 million, $9.7 million) from 2001–18 to a company owned by Negreira in return for favorable refereeing decisions.

The Catalans deny any wrongdoing, holding firm that the payments were for refereeing advice and reports. Their story contradicts the one Pérez told yet again on Tuesday.

“Three years ago, we learned about a corruption case like the Negreira case,” he said. “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 revisited the case later in his speech as well when targeting La Liga referees. “There is also the systemic corruption of the Negreira case. That we have to listen to the Referees Committee saying these are things we should forget … How can we forget if we are compiling a 500-page dossier that I will send to UEFA as soon as the competition ends?

”I have spoken with them because there is no precedent in the history of world football. How can I forget the biggest corruption case in football history? I fight against everyone.”

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