Why Florentino Perez Could Face Massive Ban Over ‘Stolen Titles’ Rant

Florentino Pérez’s extraordinary press conference this month could have serious ramifications with Spain’s referees union filing a complaint against the Real Madrid president .

Last Tuesday, two days after Madrid officially conceded the title to Barcelona, Pérez held an “emergency” press conference, during which he deflected from the club’s travils by railing against officiating in La Liga.

During his rare Q&A with the media, Pérez asserted that “seven league titles were stolen” from Madrid and spoke of “systemic corruption” in the wake of the Negreira case, during a chaotic and often surreal hour.

The Negreira case is an ongoing investigation that centers on payments made by Barcelona from 2001–18 to a company owned by a former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), José María Enríquez Negreira. Negreira has denied being bribed to influence refereeing decisions.

Pérez faced widespread backlash for his rant, with Barcelona reportedly “carefully examining” statements made by the 79-year-old to determine if the accusations of corruption constitute grounds for a lawsuit.

Now, AESAF (the Spanish Association of Referees) has officially launched a complaint against Pérez to the RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation) Disciplinary Committee.

Their statement argues that Pérez’s claims of corruption and bias in Spanish refereeing “cannot be justified under the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression nor of sports criticism, given that Mr Perez does not limit himself to pointing out specific refereeing errors but attributes to the refereeing body the perpetration of a continued crime of corruption during two decades.”

What Punishments Could Pérez Face?

Florentino Pérez is the target of a complaint from Spain’s referees association. | Dennis Agyeman /AFP7/Getty Images

According to Mundo Deportivo, Pérez faces two scenarios if AESAF’s complaint is upheld by the RFEF.

In the most extreme case, he could be face a fine along with a suspension of between one month and two years, according to the disciplinary code’s Article 94, which deals with public acts that undermine sporting dignity and decorum.

However, more likely, it is stated, that he would be slapped with a fine of the paltry sounding maximum figure of €3,005.06 (around $3,500), citing Article 106 concerning “Statements through any medium regarding members of the refereeing body or members of the regulatory guarantee bodies.”

Whether Pérez remains in an official position at Real Madrid long enough for any serious punishment to matter is another story, after he also called for presidential elections during his press conference.

Elections Loom

After a bitterly disappointing two seasons without a major trophy, Pérez’s position at the top of the Madrid tree has come under increased scrutiny.

Despite having three years still to run on his current term in office, Pérez has ordered early presidential elections after opting to seek a renewed mandate and assert his dominance over any prospective rivals.

For the current cycle, aspiring candidates have a deadline of May 23 to submit their applications, after which the electoral commission will review them, leading into a short campaign phase and a vote among the club’s members.

Pérez has often run unopposed in recent elections. However, this time around he is expected to face at least some level of opposition.

Although no official challenger has yet formally entered the race, businessman and Real Madrid member Enrique Riquelme—previously mentioned by Pérez himself as a potential rival—has indicated that he is considering his next move, stating that he will “decide in the next few days whether to accept the challenge.”

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