Real Madrid president Florentino Perez stunned Spanish football on Tuesday after calling early elections at the club, launching a fiery attack on the media and claiming campaigns were being waged against him personally. The dramatic press conference came amid growing chaos surrounding Real Madrid after another trophyless season, tensions in the dressing room and growing speculation about the club’s future direction.
The emergency appearance immediately sparked rumors that Perez might resign from his post afterwards weeks of increasing pressure around the club. Instead, the 79-year-old opened the press conference by shutting down the claims in typical dramatic fashion.
“I’m sorry to tell you that I will not be resigning,” Perez said.
The Real Madrid president then confirmed that he had asked the electoral council to start the process of new elections, even though the club does not have to hold them for another three years.
“I have asked the Board of Elections to begin the process of calling an election in which this current board and I will run again,” Perez added.
The explosive media interaction came as Madrid’s season took a bad turn.
For the second consecutive campaign, the Spanish giants failed to win a major trophy. Manager Alvaro Arbeloa is already facing questions over his future barely a month after replacing Xabi Alonso, while reports of dressing room rows between players have only added to the sense of instability at the club.
One recent incident on the training ground reportedly even led to Federico Valverde requiring treatment after an altercation with team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni.
However, Perez was more focused on attacking critics than discussing football issues.
PEREZ CLAIMS A CAMPAIGN IS RUNNING AGAINST HIM
Perez spent much of the press conference angrily dismissing rumors about his health, his future and what he described as coordinated campaigns against him.
“An absurd campaign has been created to attack me personally,” Perez said.
“They say where is Florentino?” I don’t normally talk. Then they say I’m sick and have terminal cancer. My health is perfect.”
The veteran president repeatedly lashed out at sections of the Spanish media and even directly confronted the journalists present in the room.
“They say I’m tired, that I’m old,” Perez continued.
“Why do they want to kill me? I was elected the best president in history. We have the most valuable club in history. We have the most valuable team in history.”
Pérez also insisted that journalists would not influence Real Madrid’s decisions or push him out of office.
“I will present myself to defend Madrid. Not because of some journalists who think they will intimidate me.”
At one point the press conference became visibly heated and arguments broke out between Perez and the reporters present as the Real Madrid boss continued his rant for more than 20 minutes.
During the extraordinary exchange of views, he also directly addressed the Spanish portal Relevo and journalist Ruben Canizares.
“Journalists like you make Real Madrid difficult,” Perez said.
Despite the chaos surrounding the club, Perez repeatedly highlighted the trophies won during his tenure and strongly defended his leadership.
“We haven’t been able to win anything this year. I’m the first one who wants to win it all,” he said.
“But we won 37 football titles and 26 basketball titles.
Perez has dominated Real Madrid’s elections for more than a decade, having been elected unopposed in each of the club’s last four election cycles in 2013, 2017, 2021 and 2025.
NO WORDS ABOUT THE NEW REAL MADRID MANAGER
One of the biggest surprises of the press conference was that Perez completely avoided discussing the managerial situation at the club despite the massive anticipation surrounding the topic.
With pressure mounting on Arbeloa after a disastrous season, many supporters expected Perez to address rumors surrounding potential replacements, particularly the ongoing speculation linking Jose Mourinho with a sensational return to Madrid.
But no such notification came.
Perez did not reveal any details regarding the club’s management plans or whether Arbeloa will continue beyond the current season.
This silence only fueled further speculation.
Madrid’s games this year went beyond just results. The team often looked emotionally broken on the field when injuredtension in the dressing room and tactical inconsistency repeatedly damaged the campaign.
And while Perez tried to exude confidence during Tuesday’s performance, the overall atmosphere around Real Madrid continues to feel unusually volatile for a club that has long built its identity on dominance and control.
– The end
Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
12 May 2026 22:42 IST
