Mourinho, Elections, Civil War: Takeaways From Florentino Perez’s Bizarre Real Madrid Tirade

The Spaniard spoke for over an hour in an explosive rant that did little to improve the team’s image.

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

Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez called an emergency press conference on Tuesday afternoon to speak directly to the media amid the club’s continued crisis.

Los Blancos’ poor 2025–26 season turned into a nightmare over the last month. The team failed over and over again on the pitch, headlined by their Champions League elimination and embarrassing Clásico defeat that handed Barcelona the La Liga title.

The despair bled into the dressing room and the training ground, where altercations unfolded one after the other. Kylian Mbappé reportedly had an aggressive confrontation with a member of the coaching staff at Valdebebas, Antonio Rüdiger slapped Álvaro Carreras and Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni got into a fight that sent the Uruguayan to the hospital.

Going trophyless, a squad civil war and the pursuit of a new manager were all topics the public expected Pérez to cover at the microphone. Instead, he kept the focus largely on himself for the entire press conference in what can only be explained as a bizarre tirade.

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Pérez Announces New Wave of Elections

Florentino Pérez has maintained his post since 2009. | Dennis Agyeman /AFP7/Getty Images

As soon as Pérez stepped up to the podium, he announced new elections are coming for the Board of Directors at Real Madrid—three years early. The Spaniard, who clarified over and over again that he is not stepping down from his position, was re-elected as president back in 2025 for the next four years.

Instead of waiting until 2029, Pérez is calling for fresh elections as an opportunity for those speaking out against him and his capabilities to run against him. The 79-year-old previously ran unopposed in 2013, 2017, 2021 and 2025.

“I’m sorry to tell you that I’m not going to resign,” Pérez said before announcing the upcoming elections, inviting opponents this time around. “Those who want to come out and stand against me, they can. I am also going to stand to defend the rights of our members.

“If somebody does want to stand, let them stand. But don’t move in the shadows. I have asked the electoral board to begin the process of calling elections, in which the current board will stand again.”

Pérez also repeatedly mentioned he is in “perfect health” and struck down rumors that he is suffering from cancer, reiterating no illness is keeping him from running Real Madrid.

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Pérez Furthers Crusade Against La Liga, Journalists

Florentino Pérez targeted journalists at the press conference. | Dennis Agyeman/AFP7/Getty Images

After announcing fresh elections, Pérez spent the majority of his press conference lashing out at journalists and La Liga, claiming both are against Los Blancos and fueling the negative narratives surrounding the club.

The president called journalists and publications out by name, referencing specific articles written that “create trouble for Real Madrid,” as well as speaking directly to members of the media who were in attendance on Tuesday, who Pérez “supposes are Atlético Madrid fans.”

He then turned his anger toward La Liga, fanning the flames of the omnipresent rivalry while also bringing up the Negreira case in which Barcelona are accused of paying a total of €8.4 million (£7.3 million, $9.7 million) from 2001–18 to a company owned by former vice president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) refereeing committee José María Enríquez Negreira in return for favorable refereeing decisions.

“Of course, there’s also our perennial enemy, La Liga,” Pérez said. “We’re going to fight. I’m fighting against everyone. The systemic corruption of the Negreira case … How can we just forget it? We’re preparing a 500-page dossier that I’ll send to UEFA when the competition is over. I’ve already spoken with them. There’s no precedent for this in the history of world football. It’s the biggest corruption case ever.”

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Pérez Addresses Mourinho Links

José Mourinho is suddenly on the shortlist to take over Real Madrid. | Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images

After his soliloquy, Pérez opened up the floor for questions, yet he refused to answer any of interest to most of the journalists in the room, as well as fans at home. The Spaniard refused to speak on what went wrong this season on the pitch, striking down questions concerning the team’s poor form.

Instead, he harped on the past, reminding everyone that Real Madrid is “the club with the most titles in the history of the world. The most valuable club according to Forbes. The most valuable brand.” He also brought up Los Blancos’ Champions League and La Liga triumphs just two years ago.

Pérez kept the same approach when asked about José Mourinho, who has been tipped as the frontrunner to take over the team this summer from Álvaro Arbeloa.

“Mourinho? We’re not talking about that right now,” he said before launching into another rant about the “absurd campaign” against Real Madrid, where he’s been “elected the best president in the history of the club.”

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Pérez Downplays Fight Between Valverde, Tchouaméni

The Madrid camp is in disarray. | Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press/Getty Images

Pérez did not offer much insight into the bust-up between Valverde and Tchouaméni, but he did point out that the situation was more normal than it was made out to be in the press.

“It’s not the first time two players have fought; they fight every season because they’re competitive,” he said. “The difference here is that someone has spoken about it for the first time, and we know who it was.”

Pérez was referring to the leak in the dressing room, seemingly taking more issue with the person giving the information to the press than the actual incident itself.

“I think it’s terrible, and I think it’s even worse that they’ve made it public. I’ve been here for 26 years, and there hasn’t been a single year without two players … or four of them … fighting.

“For me, the leak is worse, because it implies that there’s more to it than just the fight; the next day they’re friends and go for coffee. I think it’s the first time I’ve seen that in my 26-year history, and that worries me too.”

It goes without saying that Pérez should be worried about much more than just a dressing room leak, but the president’s focus clearly remains on taking down his enemies and protecting his image rather than doing what needs to be done to repair Real Madrid’s reputation.

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