Real Madrid president Florentino Perez delivered a combative press conference, defending his leadership and confirming he will remain in charge. During the event, he criticized the media, La Liga, and the Negreira case, while repeatedly targeting Atletico Madrid.
Perez opened by stating: “If they want me to leave, they should run for election and beat me. If someone wins, I’ll congratulate them. Real Madrid belongs to its members, not to a few journalists who, I suspect, are all Atletico fans.” This was his first jab at Atletico, suggesting that those criticizing Real Madrid are biased reporters with an Atletico agenda.
He then went further: “I want to hand over the club’s assets to the members, as I’ve said before. These assets belong to them. I’m not like other clubs, whose owners took over and then sold them for profit. I was elected by the members, not by radical fans.” This remark clearly referenced the Apollo Fund’s acquisition of a 57% stake in Atletico Madrid, valuing the club at around 2.5 billion euros for full ownership.
Toward the end of the press conference, Perez delivered another blow: “What will other clubs say? What about Atletico Madrid? Why aren’t they being investigated? No club in history compares to Real Madrid. Do they expect us to win every game 10-0? Don’t worry, we will.”
