Barcelona are considering legal action against Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez after he accused the Catalan club of corruption in a dramatic press conference on Tuesday.
Perez said this while addressing the media in Madrid before the recent presidential elections in Real Madrid. The 79-year-old hit back at the ongoing Negreira case involving FC Barcelona and former referee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, calling it “the biggest scandal in history”.
“We found that in the last three years we faced an unprecedented case of corruption, the biggest scandal in history: the Negreira case,” Perez said. “Referees from that time are still active in competitions such as LaLiga. We are going to put together a comprehensive dossier to present to UEFA so they can nip this in the bud.”
Perez said Real Madrid are preparing a 500-page report to be submitted after the season.
“It’s incomprehensible that in a competition like LaLiga we still see referees from that era,” he added. “This has been going on for two decades of payments. They are the same referees and we are preparing significant documentation to present to UEFA immediately so that they can address the problem at its roots and resolve the Negreiro case for the good of world football.”
Barcelona responded soon after the press conference ended, confirming that their legal team was reviewing Perez’s comments.
“Following the press conference held by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, we inform you that our legal department is carefully studying his words and allegations,” the club said in a statement. “At this time the club is analyzing the situation and deciding what the next steps are. We will provide further information on our position and the decisions we will make as soon as it is deemed appropriate.”
Barcelona has denied wrongdoing in the Negreira case, which involves payments allegedly worth around $10 million made to Negreira between 2001 and 2018. The club says he worked as an outside consultant, while Negreira has denied bribery allegations.
PEREZ BACK TO THE CRITICS
Perez also used the press conference to respond to criticism surrounding Madrid’s disappointing season and rumors about his health.
“I regret to inform you that I will not be resigning, but I have asked the council to start the election process for the elections to the board of directors, in which the current council will run,” he said.
“They take advantage of the fact that we haven’t had the best results, but it’s something we accept because in sport you don’t always win. It’s happened to us many times, but they use these situations to attack me personally. They say: ‘Where is Florentino?’ I don’t usually talk.”
Perez also dismissed reports about his health.
“They say I’m sick and have terminal cancer. I want to take this opportunity to remind them that my health is perfect. I don’t know why this rumor started. When they say I have cancer, I should go to a cancer center and get checked out. Do you think if that was the case, it wouldn’t be all over the world? It’s not true. They made it up and decided that I’m the last animal I go to first and go to bed.”
The press conference came at a difficult time for Real Madrid after a 2-0 defeat at Barcelona on Sunday confirmed a second LaLiga title for their rivals in a row. Reports of a dressing room clash between Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde, along with criticism of Kylian Mbappe for traveling to Italy while injured, have added to the scrutiny around the club.
Perez was first elected president of Real Madrid in 2000 and then returned in 2009. He has run unopposed in the last four club elections.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
May 13, 2026 1:17 PM IST
