Resignation, player altercation and the Negreira case: key takeaways from Florentino Pérez’s press conference
Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
Real Madrid have endured another disappointing campaign, finishing a second straight season without silverware, prompting club president Florentino Pérez to address the media at a major press conference.
Details: One of the headline topics was Pérez’s potential resignation. According to the club chief, that will not be happening. Contrary to the expectations of his critics, the president made it clear that he has no intention of stepping down at this moment.
What is more, he announced early presidential elections at the club — three years ahead of schedule.
Pérez also addressed the recent incident involving Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni, which had recently become public knowledge. He urged observers not to dramatise the situation, describing the altercation as something normal among young players.
Quote: “Valverde and Tchouaméni argued, as young lads sometimes do: one threw a punch, the other responded, and then they became friends again. That is perfectly normal,” Pérez stated.
He stressed that the dressing-room information leak is a far more serious issue, as it fuels unnecessary rumours and suggests hidden problems within the team that go far beyond an ordinary disagreement.
Pérez also described the so-called Negreira case as the most shocking scandal in the history of world football and expressed deep surprise that the investigation has still produced no final outcome.
The Real Madrid president emphasised that a situation in which a club allegedly made payments to the vice-president of Spain’s refereeing technical committee for two decades demands immediate and transparent legal scrutiny.
He also stated that he had called the press conference to defend Real Madrid from what he described as “theft,” claiming the club would have won at least seven more league titles had they not been “stolen” from them.
In closing, Pérez added that he hopes he will never have to see journalists again.
Reminder: It was recently revealed inside Real Madrid who the player was that had been leaking information from the dressing room.
